


I Am Infamous

by Nimathesis



Category: inFAMOUS (Video Games), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Abigail "Fetch" Walker is Bad at Feelings, Cole needs a beer, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Midoriya Inko, How Do I Tag, Midoriya Izuku Has Multiple Quirks, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Midoriya Izuku gets hugged by a dead person, Nezu is terrifying, The Conduits are Vigilantes, Yagi Toshinori | All Might is Bad at Feelings, Zeke Dunbar is Good at Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:54:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 77,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26717818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nimathesis/pseuds/Nimathesis
Summary: Sometimes being a hero, just means helping a person at the right time.Who knows, you might even get a few friends and the most confusing power you've ever heard of out of it.Even if you have to watch somebody die for it to happen.
Relationships: (past)Delsin Rowe/Abigail "Fetch" Walker, Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku, Jirou Kyouka & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Cole MacGrath, Midoriya Izuku & Delsin Rowe, Midoriya Izuku & Tsukauchi Naomasa, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako
Comments: 106
Kudos: 121





	1. You're My Hero.

_Rejection_.

 _Truth_.

 _Hurt_.

These were the only words that echoed through Izuku’s head as he stared at the wall of a man in front of him.

He could feel the wetness on his cheeks and hear the drops of his pain quietly smacking against the buildings’ roof, as the last embers of his dream flickered away.

  
_“No, I don’t think a quirkless person can be a hero. I’m sorry”_

  
It echoed throughout Izuku’s head and deafened the world around him. It was like a canon, firing in his ears. But he knew that it was the truth.

  
Then why did it hurt so much to hear?

  
His teachers, his classmates, his ‘friend', hell even his mother couldn’t tell Izuku that he could be a hero, but he still tried. Even though everything and everyone pointed and said no, he still tried. It ~~is~~ was Izukus' dream.

  
But when those words left his mouth, that one sentence, it tore apart that conviction in an instant. Those hopes and dreams seemed so far away now, a flickering candle, only a few inches of wicker left, occupying the empty expanse that was his soul.

  
“But why?” The words left his mouth before he could even process them. Normally he'd panic, who was he to question? What gave him a reason to question what all of society believed?

  
Though in that moment…he was angry! He wanted to know _why_!? Why was this being taken away by his **HERO**? His very inspiration for wanting to help others with a smile that could light up the darkest corners of the world.

  
_‘WHY? Please; help me to understand'_

* * *

“Can a quirkless person become a hero!?”

  
Toshinori stood there like a deer in headlights, his mind running a mile a minute.

  
_Can a quirkless person become a hero?_

  
It was a question to himself, more than anything else at that moment. He knew the pain, the loneliness, and the hopelessness of being powerless. He knew the young man’s desire to want to be something more, to help others.

  
 _Just not to the extent he should have_.

  
His hidden pain itched in that moment, his darkest secret. That one sensation brought through a cascade of memories. Loneliness, being ostracised by those around, the burning desire to be a symbol regardless of what the world was doing to him. Warmth and joy, a tall dark-haired women giving him the chance to attain his dream.

  
Then pain again.

  
Losing his mentor, the one person who believed in him above all others. Watching that **MONSTER** , rip her away. Rage, fury, a desire for vengeance… and then the phantom feeling of blood on his hand as the mush of a head lay in front him. The emptiness and guilt he felt consume him in that moment. The burning pain from his mangled left side.  
In that moment, the fear, of one day turning on the news and seeing those big, sad, green eyes looking at him as the announcer explained his death to the world while he tried to save someone.

  
 _I’m so sorry_.

  
" **No, I don’t think a quirkless person can be a hero. I’m sorry** " The words spilled out of his mouth and the pain and regret he felt in that moment… well not even All For Ones death instilled such a feeling in him. But he couldn’t get the idea of seeing his bloodied corpse out of his head, and so he committed. He committed to one of his biggest mistakes and tried to justify it as he asked, begged him to explain why he was crushing his dreams.

  
 _I'm so sorry_.

* * *

Izuku stared at the mountain of a man as the front of his shirt began to soak, begging for an answer. After what felt like an eternity, he gave a hesitant sigh and began to lift the sleeve on his left arm. “What are you…”

Before he could finish he noticed the small seem that travelled the circumference of his upper bicep, connecting in an almost invisible line. He placed his thumb and fore-finger under his arm and near his shoulder and a mechanical beep echoed across the near empty roof.

  
His eyes only began to widen and mouth droop open more as his hero, the invincible man, All Might; removed what was his arm! The questions hit him like a train, the only reason he wasn’t a mess of muttering was due to the sheer shock of the situation mixed with his still shattered emotions.

  
“ **I received this injury five years ago** ” he solemnly stated.

 _Toxic chainsaw_?

 **“Most of the public has never heard of this battle"** he continued with an every saddening expression.

 _Not toxic chainsaw, but a still a villain that could do… THAT_!

 **“So you must understand, if there is a…man that could do this to me, I’m scared to think of what could happen to a quirkless person who has no means of fighting back.”** And the truth of it nearly caused him to choke on air right then and there.

  
“Ok" Were the only words that left Izuku’s mouth as the last remnant of fire died out.

  
 **“It's good to have dreams young man, just make sure they are realistic. You could always become a police officer. They get a bad rep due to heroes tackling the tougher villains directly but it’s still an honourable profession. Maybe a paramedic, doctor or firefighter, there are plenty of worth while ways to help people that are safer than hero work. Think about it.”** And with that the number one hero attached his prosthetic and jumped away with a whoosh of wind.

  
“Ok" Izuku repeated without thinking as he disappeared into a dot on the horizon.

  
Then the flood gates opened.

  
He crumpled to floor hugging his legs as he bawled his eyes out. Every word, every comment, every insult and threat going through his mind on repeat.

  
‘ _Quirkless'_

_‘Loser'_

_‘Deku'_

_‘I’m so sorry'_

_‘You'll never be anything'_

_‘Give up before you get yourself killed, Deku'_

_‘No, I don’t think a quirkless person can become a hero, I’m sorry_ '

It smashed into him like a tidal wave and the world around Izuku darkened. He didn’t even realise he had traversed down the stairs of the building, or the questioning of the receptionist on how he got there. He only saw the faces of everyone who said otherwise to his dream. Everyone that said no to him. Everyone who told him he was weak and worthless.

  
And then he heard a groan. Not the tired or annoyed kind he was so used to, but the one of someone in pain. The metallic stench of blood hit his nose and before Izuku could process what was happening, he was shooting down the alley next to the building where his dreams were crushed.

  
The trash bags and bins lined the walls as he searched for the person in need. He reached halfway down the wide alley when Izuku saw him. Slumped next to a dumpster that had a streak of blood from where he must have fallen against it.

  
His mind went into overdrive as he assessed the man in front of him. Beanie, long sleeve hoodie with a denim jacket over it, buttons lining the side and something around his wrist. _Is that a chain_? Questions for later Izuku decided, currently there was a chunk of his left side missing that was scary enough to make Izuku lean over the dumpster and empty what remained of his lunch.

  
“That bad?” His voice sounded hoarse, yet still filled with sarcasm and an American accent oozing through.

  
“I’m sorry, I’m just not use to seeing some like… _that_ "

  
“First time seeing someone missing a chunk of their body huh?” he asked with whatever humour he could muster while pain wracked his body.

  
“S-second time today actually, but I need to c-call the police and ambulance j-j-just stay still.” Izuku replied fishing his phone out of his bag and hoping that the sludge villain didn’t destroy it. Thankfully the screen flashed on and Izuku began to type in the emergency number.

  
“Don't!” he shouted with the most serious tone he'd ever heard, next to Izukus' mother. Izuku turned his head back to him and saw the steely gaze he was giving him, leaving no room for argument. To bad he was stubborn when people needed saving.

  
“W-Why!? You’re going to d-die if I don’t get help?!” he exclaimed, _was he trying to kill himself?_

  
“The ‘Man' and I aren't exactly on great terms, besides I usually heal from this kinda stuff.” A small, strained smile on his face.

  
 _Does he have a healing quirk? What’s the limit? It must be high if he is this confident in it? Wait… is he a villain_?!

  
“S-sir, a-a-are you a v-v-v-villain?” Slowly taking steps back as sweat began to form on his forehead.

  
“No, though my chain and fists are rather acquainted with a couple of their faces” he stated with a painful chuckle and then proceeding coughed up a small portion of blood, “Damn that smarts.”

  
“Wait, so you’re a v-vigilante?” Izuku asked cautiously, the state he was in briefly slipping his mind in response to the possible implications of his wounds and words. His response was lifting his right arm as best he could and letting the whisper of smoke dance around his knuckles and wrist.

  
“YOU'RE THE SMOKER!" the revelation of his quirk and profession sparking his vigilante knowledge. “You’re part of the vigilante group, The Conduits. You took down the First Sons organization 3 years ago!” he spewed before he had time to think.

  
He groaned louder than he should, with a look of disappointment written on his face, “I hate that name, everyone else got to choose their codenames but me, nope, I get ' _The Smoker_ '. Listen kid just call me Delsin." he said with parts disdain and other parts sarcasm before coughing up blood again.

  
This snapped Izuki out of his stupor, “I’m Izuku Midoriya, and p-please let me help, I d-don’t want to watch you d-d-die when I can do something" he pleaded.

  
“Listen, give a minute and I’ll be fine, I usually walk away with just a stiff body.” More blood proceeded to spill from the wound and his skin was getting visibly paler, “Ok, maybe this wound is bigger than what I normally deal with.” He replied with and edge of worry creeping in to his speech.

  
“There m-must be s-someone you can trust that I-I can phone…please l-l-let me help" Izuku said with whatever conviction he still had left, his eyes burning with a desire to do something for the bleeding man. “Stupid puppy dog eyes.” Delsin grumbled under his breath before meeting Izukus green orbs.

  
“Phone the police station,* _cough_ * …and ask for Detective Tsukauchi. Tell him Delsin Rowe is looking for him.” He yacked out as more blood continued to flow in the now red pool that was soaking his pants and the alley floor. Izuku dialled the number back into his phone, waiting for an answer.

  
“This is the Musutafu police department, how may I assist you?” Came the smooth voice of the operator. Izuki could immediately feel his nerves settle and his mind was clearer. _Is that the operators quirk? No someone needs my help, another time_.

  
“Yes my name is I-Izuku Midoriya, I’m looking for a Detective Tsukauchi. Um, can you tell him Delsin is looking for him please?” he spilled out, his stutter only coming out for a small second. Izuku looked over to the injured Delsin, despite looking even paler he managed a thumbs up in reassurance.

  
After a ‘hold please’ and audible click, another voice came through, though noticeably more annoyed, “Delsin this better be not be another smoked apartment complex or I swear…” he never got to finish before Izuku rushed out the situation.

  
“This is I-Izuku M-M-Midoriya, Delsin is h-hurt and needs help!” the line was silent for a second before the reply came through.  
“Ok Midoriya, stay calm, tell me how bad it is and where you are.” Tsukauchi replied as calmly as possible, trying not to let the worry come through. Izuku rattled off Delsin’s condition and their location before Tsukauchi told them to sit tight and that paramedics where on their way, before ending the call.

  
Izuku turned to Delsin who had a… irritated face? Showing amongst all the pain. “D-d-d-did I-I do s-something wrong?” his nervous stutter coming back full force. Delsin glared at him for an extra second before responding, “You didnt wait to make sure it was actually him before rattling of what was happening, * _cough_ * for all you know it could have been, * _cough_ * someone else!” he hacked out between bursts of pain and blood. His vision was already getting dark.

* * *

  
 _Kid doesn’t need to know that though_ , he thought to himself, then again this really wasn’t how he expected to die. In a back alley, half his stomach missing and a teenager doing everything in his ability to help a complete stranger, and known vigilante. _Fetch is gonna kill me_.

  
Izuku squeaked a list of apologies, faster than Delsin could keep track of, faster than anyone could keep track of really. For someone who is going this far for a vigilante and stranger, _he sure is jumpy._

“It's, * _cough_ * fine kid. What’s done, * _cough_ * is done. Besides after all you’re doing for me, cant exactly be mad at my hero.” What Delsin expected was a nervous laugh or embarrassment, what he didn’t expect was the silent stream of tears that formed as he finished that sentence. _Yeah, that’s not good_.

* * *

“What’s wrong? * _cough_ *” he asked with a very clear concern in his eyes despite the pain shooting through his body.

“…Hero?” Izuku was frozen by that one word. The entire days events came crashing down into that _one_ exact word. “I'm you’re hero?” he asked hesitantly, making sure that he misheard him. He wasn’t a hero, he was just a quirkless nobody. All Might himself even said he couldn’t be a hero.

  
“Yeah kid, you’re helping me out here as best you can. Even though you, * _cough_ * didn’t have to. That’s a hero, * _cough_ * someone who helps other regardless of fame or glory. * _cough_ * They do it cause its the right thing to do" He managed to get out, the only reason he was still talking was cause his regeneration was prolonging the inevitable.

  
“…Do you mean it?” Everything else around Izuku was invisible compared to the bleeding man in front of hims' words. The tears that streamed down his face and mixed with the blood, turning it into a watery mess of red, didn’t even seem to register.

  
“Yeah kid, * _cough_ * you’re a hero. Now can you quit making me say it, * _cough_ * kinda dying over here.” Delsin replied with even more worry behind his eyes.

  
“R-right! Sorry, I-I’m s-so sorry!” he rushed out dumping his bag, ripping off his jacket and holding it over the Delsin’s considerable wound, channelling whatever idea of first aid he had from watching heroes on TV.

* * *

  
Silence passed for what felt like hours before Delsin asked the question that had been knawing at his side since the kid started crying, _God Zeke would bust a gut if he heard that pun_. “Kid, * _cough_ * you know anyone can be, * _cough_ * a hero right? All you need to do, * _cough_ * is help someone.”

  
Then the root of why the kid was balling minutes ago came out. “But I-I’m q-q-q-quirkless.”

  
 _Fuck_. _Society_. _It's like no one remembers quirks didn’t exist at one point. Well you wanted to help people Delsin, this is how you do it. Make that last moment count._

“You don’t need a quirk to be a hero. * _cough_ * Especially considering you already are one.”

* * *

  
“…especially considering you already are one.” And like that every stigma and doubt was pushed aside. Izuku _could_ be a hero. He already _was_ one to Delsin, he really wished he could cry but Delsin needed him. Still. If Delsin believed in him…then yeah he could do it, Izuku Midoriya could still be a hero. He _will_ be a hero!

  
The embers of his conviction roaring into a blazing furnace. He was going to _save_ Delsin and he was going to be a hero.

  
And then Delsin’s hand went limp and grazed his skin, and his world went dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is my first fic and first time really committing to a writing piece.
> 
> I want to thank my amazing partner for editing all this for me, it's the main reason this isnt littered with spelling mistakes and the grammar is decent, but besides that I'm excited to see where this goes.
> 
> I hope you liked it and I'll see you in the next one.


	2. Because it's the right thing to do!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukauchi has a rough day.  
> Izuku gets his mind blown, his heart broken, and makes his vow.

_You better not be dead._

Naomasa Tsukauchi was already having a rough day- a botched sting for a trigger supplier the previous night and two injured officers because of it was already souring his mood. Add on all the paper work to explain how they screwed-the-pooch, and you could say he was pissed. The stage was set and the informant was there with the money. All they needed was the product to be shown and they could move in. Yet as soon as they dealer exited the car everything went wrong. Blue fire engulfed the warehouse and they ended up having to pull everyone out to let rescue heroes tackle the flames. The worst part; the roasted corpse that was their target that they pulled out of the rubble. With him went any connection to people higher up on the food chain, and 4 months of snooping around for any possible lead.

And then- he got a _damn_ phone call.

_You better not be dead._

That was the only thought passing Tsukauchi’s mind as he put down the phone. Delsin was many things; brash, arrogant, sarcastic, and always in over his head- but that didn’t mean he wanted to see the guy die. He had brought down more villains, criminal syndicates, and corrupt heroes than some in the top 50. Actually, just thinking about all the names he’s crossed out on his hit lists, it’s more of surprise this is first time he’s been so injured some kid has had to phone for help.

That thought made him pause as he was relaying the info to the emergency services. _He’s got a target on his back by at least 8 active criminal parties, that’s not even counting all the small-time thugs he’s brought in… so what kind of monster was able to hurt him that bad?_

He shook himself out of his thoughts as the emergency operator called his name, “Ah, sorry, yes I’ll meet your medics there. The boys name is Izuku Midoriya… no I don’t have a description I just know he’s 15, so try looking for kid in a school uniform, most schools just ended an hour ago.” With that he hung up the phone, threw on his coat and grabbed his keys, moving as fast as possible to his car.

_I made a promise to you Reggie, and I don’t intend to break it._

* * *

_Pain_.

It was a concept Izuku thought he was familiar with. Between the burns and beatings and the constant ridicule, he thought he had already explored every avenue of _Pain_.

Oh, how wrong he was.

This pain was like nothing he could have ever imagined. The rush… the rush of memories and thoughts was enough to make him feel as though his brain would explode any second. Sights, feelings, tastes, sounds and sensations that were not his own, and were never meant to be flooded his mind faster than he could make sense of them. Only out-of-context sentences and images registered every few seconds.

_“Do you know why you are here, Mr. Rowe”_

Concrete walls that seemed to reach the sky, jagged and out of place, yet just as mesmerizing.

_“His DNA shows signs of a quirk, but he’s not exhibiting any of the listed abilities.”_

A woman with dark red hair and wearing an even darker coat.

A bald man surrounded by… a cloud?

_“He’s a leech, yet he doesn’t render their powers inert, he simply duplicates. Albeit to a lesser extent, but the possibilities are endless.”_

A scrawny looking boy with glasses, surrounded by monitors.

_“Rough training session, D?”_

Magenta hair, surrounded by a brilliant swirling light.

Fire, snow and destruction. Alarms blaring and sense of… fear? Horror? Urgency? Grief.

_“ **REGGIE!”**_

And then a sense he was all too familiar with; _emptiness._

_“Names Cole, Cole MacGrath.”_

And then light.

* * *

His head felt like it was burning. No, burning would have been better than this. This- this felt like he had taken one of Endeavours’ strongest attacks point blank, and somehow was still intact. All the while, the number 2 hero still hadn’t stopped trying to incinerate his cells.

He could barely keep his eyes open or process what the paramedic in front of him was trying to tell him… wait PARAMEDIC?!

He forced his burning eyes to take in the situation around him. From what he could make out he was leaning against the alley wall, his previously clean pants were drenched in blood, and he was wearing his white undershirt- at least it used to be white. _Mom’s gonna freak when she see’s me… WAIT HOW LONG WAS I OUT?_

Forcing his aching vocal cords to work he garbled out as best he could, “Whersh Dehlshin?” _Is this what being drunk sounds like? This feels more like the hangover though._

The paramedic gave a pensive look, he reached his right hand up to Izuku’s face. The moment his skin made contact Izuku could feel the burning pain lesson, at least enough that it only felt like a mild migraine. He forced his eyes open more and took in the alley as whole, two paramedics and a man in a trench coat stood off to the side, blocking the entrance to the alley. Their faces conveying a purely professional look. Izuku forced his his eyes to look back down the alley, his neck not in any position to take the strain. He followed the blood as it grew ever more in volume to the place of its origin. Yet all that remained was a pool of gore.

His eyes frantically darted around, looking for any traces of the main who he took upon himself to save. The person who saved him.

“Kid I need you calm down,” the paramedic trying his best to soothe the, very clearly, panicking teen.

“Where ish Delsin?!” his voice starting to return to normal.

“I need you to breathe for me first alright, then we can talk, I promise,” his voice calm, years of experience allowing him to calm Izuku somewhat, “Just breathe in, count to one… and release.”

Izuku’s breathing leveled out somewhat, rather than the near hyperventilating intake of air he experienced moments ago.

The paramedic signaled over to his partner to bring the First Aid Kit and any other equipment they had on hand. He returned with two cases, removing equipment that Izuku couldn’t put a name to in his drunken-like state.

“Hello, my name is Matsuo Daisuke, is it alright if I place my hand on your arm? My quirk allows me to assess injuries but I need skin contact for it to work, is that ok?” his hand hovering inches away from Izuku’s bloodied arm. Izuku gave a shaky nod, the paramedic making contact a moment later. He felt a warm buzzing pass through him. _Must be his quirk, it feels… comforting, I wonder if that’s intentional or just a lucky side effect?_

“…oriya…idoriya,” the world around him coming back into focus, “Midoriya can you hear me?”

“Y-yes s-s-sir,” _at least I’m not slurring my words._

Izuku could faintly feel the two paramedics working on him- to bad he could only really focus on one thing, the migraine still wracking his mind.

“How are you feeling?” the detective asked as soft as possible, Izuku’s face clearly showing the after effects of… whatever that was. “My h-head feels like i-it’s on f-f-fire, s-sir”

* * *

“Can you tell me what happened? When the paramedics arrived, they said you were passed out,” what Tsukauchi didn’t mention yet, was that the kid was apparently having a seizure right next to-

_He’s gonna have a hard-enough time as it is, that can wait for when he’s calmed down a little more._

“I-I don’t r-really remember, I-I was trying t-to help D-Delsin and then e-everything went b-b-black,” his breath becoming shakier with each word, “P-please sir, w-where’s Delsin?”

Tsukauchi took a steadying breath, “He’s in the ambulance, they just left, they should be back soon and then when we’ll take you to get checked, alright” He could feel his quirk activate, _‘Half-Truth’._

_I’m sorry._

“Is h-he gonna be o-okay?”

_Dammit kid, stop making this so hard._

“You need to focus on yourself for now, we’ll handle Delsin”

“S-sir, I promised to h-help him, j-just tell me how h-he is, please,” the burning determination in the green-haired boy’s eyes was enough to make Tsukauchi faulter, why did the kid have to be so stubborn? Tsukauchi turned to the paramedics, “How’s he looking?”

“Other than some slight bruising from where he hit his head, it seems like he received a shock to his system.” The paramedic looked at Midoriya for a second, focusing his mind on the boys’ body once more, “Nothing lethal, but we are gonna have to take him to get checked before you can continue, questioning will have to wait ‘til then. His head is burning up and putting strain on his mind is the last thing we want.”

Midoriya looked dejected by the paramedics reply. _You are gonna need the time kid._

“Alright, can one of you see how long until that ambulance gets here?” Daisuke nodded, removing his hand and making his way to their kit bag. “Listen,” Midoriya’s eyes met his, “I’ll explain everything once we get to the hospital, but first I need your guardians contact information, alright,” Midoriya gave a shaky nod, rattling off his mother’s number. As Tsukauchi put the phone to his ear he could hear the sounds of the ambulance in the distance. _Finally._

“Hello?” a gentle voice came through the speaker.

“Yes, hello, this is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, is this Midoriya In- “

“Is Izuku Ok!?” the warm tone turning frantic before he could finish.

“Yes, he’s ok Miss Midoriya,” the shaky breath of relief was almost instantaneous, “I can’t explain everything over the phone, but your son was involved in an incident earlier today and has sustained a minor head injury. We’ll be moving him to Musutafu General Hospital, are you able to meet us there?”

“Yes! I’ll be there right away, please keep my baby safe, Detective,” the words rambled out.

“Of course, Miss Midoriya,”

“Thank you” and with that he clicked the phone off. Tsukauchi looked back at the boy, now being moved on to the gurney that came with the, now arrived, ambulance and additional officers he had called in earlier.

_This just isn’t my day._

He turned his head to the pool of blood that was being tapered off.

_I’m so sorry Reggie._

* * *

Izuku sat on the clean sheets of the hospital bed, the stench of blood still hung in the air. Red flakes still dotted his otherwise dark green hair. The shower could only take out so much, he guessed. His bloodied clothes had been taken by the police as soon as the doctors finished their check-ups, evidence for the investigation of the attack. He was currently dressed in spare clothes the hospital kept for patients. The grey pants and top reflecting his mood.

 _At least I don’t have to wash the sludge out,_ He thought bitterly. The entire time he’d been here nobody answered his question about Delsin. Tsukauchi avoided it, after Izuku had already briefed him on what had happened, opting to remind Izuku to make sure _he_ was ok. The doctors simply said it was up to the police to disclose that information. He was getting anxious- he needed to know if the person he was trying to save was alive. The police and doctors didn’t understand, he _had_ to know. He had to make sure the man who had helped him was _ok_.

The person that had _saved_ him.

The door to the hospital room slid open, a green head of hair barreling through and straight into his chest, “IZUKUUU!!”

“Hey mom, I’m ok, I’m ok,” he hugged his mother making sure she knew he wasn’t in any pain; the migraine having subsided a little while ago.

“When I got that call, _*sniff*,_ my heart stopped Izuku,” she hugged him tighter, making him glad they were already in a hospital.

“I’m ok mom, I-I just got i-into a kind of, difficult s-situation,” he tried to reassure her, he knew once she found out he would have to talk her out of the tracker idea…again.

“What ‘kind of difficult situation’ warrants a visit to the hosp-“ she stopped mid-sentence, eyes blown wide, and staring right at his-

HIS HAIR!

“I-Izuku? I-is that b-b-blood?!” she stammered out. _Tracker it is._

“I-It’s not m-mine!” _Damn._

“That’s supposed to make it better?!”

“Y-yes, wait no, I-I mean-“ his eyes darted over to the detective standing in the door-way, looking about as uncomfortable as Izuku felt. Izuku sent a silent plea for help, thankfully he caught on.

“Miss Midoriya, if you allow me to explain- it might alleviate some of your worries,”

After a hesitant look between Izuku and the detective Inko gave a nod, moving to sit next to her son on the bed- gripping his hand for her own peace of mind.

* * *

“Earlier today your son phoned the police station reporting a heavily wounded man he had found. I was present when the report came in and proceeded to call EMTs, as well as make my way to scene. When we arrived your son was passed out-“ Inko’s grip tightened, “lying next to the victim. After; we moved the victim to the ambulance and your son woke up. According to the medical report he was suffering from a migraine- possibly the shock of the situation caught up to him when he realized help was on the way- that isn’t confirmed however.”

Inko was now hugging her son again, refusing to let go in fear that he may disappear.

“You were contacted as soon as the EMTs gave the green light to move him, he was transported here, treated as required and all evidence and information was collected.” Tsukauchi let out a shaky sigh.

Inko had grown visibly paler as the detective relayed the information, holding her son tighter with each passing word.

_Might just need to call the doctor again to make sure he doesn’t have a broken rib or something._

“That’s the official report anyway- personally your son was incredibly brave. He made all the right decisions and kept as cool as possible- considering the circumstances.” Tsukauchi turned to look Izuku directly in the eye, “You did good kid, a lot of people would have freaked out in that situation,” giving Izuku a small smile.

“Sir, how’s Delsin?”

_Dammit kid._

“Izuku? Who’s Delsin?” Inko gave her son a quizzical look, “Wait, is that the person you helped?” receiving a nod in confirmation- turning her head back to Tsukauchi waiting for his answer.

…

The hesitation in Tsukauchi’s response might as well have been an answer on its own.

“We waited for your mother to arrive before we debriefed you,” Tsukauchi let own a shaky breath- he could see the kids heart begin to crack, “Delsin… he didn’t make it. When we arrived… when we arrived, he had already passed away. I’m sorry Izuku- it wasn’t your fault; you did everything you could.”

Then it shattered.

The emptiness he saw in those eyes- he would never forget the lack of any emotion he saw in that moment.

“Ok”

…

 _I’m sorry Reggie_.

* * *

The car trip home was empty of any conversation.

_He failed._

He silently walked up the stairs to his family’s apartment, his mother trailing slightly behind.

_He failed **him**._

He barely registered his mother asking if he was hungry or if he needed anything, simply shaking his head no.

_He failed again._

The hug and his subsequent slog to his room nothing more than his brain moving on auto-pilot.

_They were right._

He stared at his mass collection of All Might memorabilia- he had spent years collecting everything related to his idol; posters, action figures, bedding, clothes, bobble heads – he even had the limited edition All Might 15th anniversary ‘I Am Here’ alarm clock. It all sat there, staring at him- mocking him.

_He was right._

He threw down his bag- his charred notebook slipping out of the zip he forgot to close. ‘Hero Analysis for The Future: 13’

The emotions flooded back in.

_‘Quirkless’_

_‘Loser’_

_‘You’ll never be a hero’_

_‘Deku!’_

_‘Take a swan dive off the roof and hope for a quirk in the next life’_

_‘No, I don’t think a Quirkless person can be a hero. I’m sorry’_

Tears were staining his shirt for the third time today. He was never gonna be a hero. No matter what he did, he would always fail. He couldn’t even save one man- one man who needed him in that moment. If he had only been faster, stronger or smarter- if only he wasn’t Quirkless.

_‘That’s a hero, someone who helps others regardless of fame or glory.’_

A small flicker of fire.

_‘They do it cause it’s the right thing to do.’_

A burst of flames.

_‘You don’t need a quirk to be a hero. Especially considering you already are one.’_

A roaring inferno.

_I don’t need a quirk to help others. Delsin saw that, forgetting that now would be to dishonor his death. I will be a hero- For Delsin._

His emerald eyes burned with sheer determination. He made his vow- and he intended to keep it. He vowed to become a hero Delsin could be proud of, a hero who helped others because it’s the right thing to do.

He shifted his gaze to his notebook. He picked it up and slammed it down opening to the newest usable page, writing his moto at the top and repeating it to himself.

“A hero is someone who helps others regardless of fame or glory. They do it cause it’s the right thing to do.”

He burned it into his mind.

He would help others with a smile, cause it’s the right thing to do.

He sat back down, his very being, invigorated to achieve his dream. Writing down the first the thing that came to mind.

‘Who is _Cole MacGrath_? _'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 done and dusted.  
> I'm not entirely versed on medical jargon and procedures, so forgive my mess-ups, I was trying to recall everything i learnt doing first-aid as well as just using rationality.  
> This is getting to be really fun and next chapter we finally start getting answers and meet a man whose eye-wear -despite going through gun fights and explosions- never gets blown off. Oh and his friends.  
> See ya.


	3. Who is Cole MacGrath?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inko worries, Izuku goes looking, Tsukuachi is freaking out  
> And Cole needs a beer

Inko was pretty sure she was in some semi-lucid dream. Yesterday her son – her precious baby- looked as if though he had lost his very reason for living.

She knew life wasn’t easy for him, she knew there was something he was hiding – whether he was trying to protect her or he was simply ashamed, she wasn’t sure. It terrified her to see the slow deterioration of her once bubbly child and not know how to help.

She tried to make home life as pleasant as possible- if she couldn’t fix what happened beyond her walls, then she’d make damn sure she would give him everything she could within them. She would love him endlessly, support his idolization of heroes and be – slightly – protective, show that someone cared for him.

 _Yet_.

It still didn’t feel like enough.

She knew he wanted to be a hero more than anything, the idolization of them wasn’t just for the show of it- he wanted to be one.

 _Yet_.

She couldn’t tell him the one thing she knew he needed- she was too scared.

Too scared for when he one day realized that he couldn’t.

Too scared that he would blame her for lying to him.

He’d yell at her, tell her that she gave him false hope. Ask what kind of parent told their child they could be something that was impossible.

She was scared she’d lose him.

…

Yesterday when she learnt everything- the hurt man, her Izuku _passing_ _out_ in a pool of blood, that Izuku was somehow _hurt_ helping this person… that Izuku had tried to help him and despite that, the poor man lost his life – she had thought that she would need to comfort him, ease him into the idea that, maybe, heroing wasn’t for him. She’d need to comfort her grieving, sobbing child.

What she saw instead terrified her.

_Nothing._

No tears, no sadness, no anger, no grief- just… _nothing_.

He had shutdown.

…

Then it clicked.

Izuku had tried to _save_ him.

This was going to be _his_ proof that he could be a hero, that- no matter how small- he could save people.

Izuku was not only taking on the responsibility for his death, he was coming to the conclusion that he could never be what he wanted- he could never be a hero.

He was internalizing all that pain.

He never said a word while the detective drove them home, nor when they entered the apartment.

He just left- left to grieve alone.

…

Inko didn’t know what to do.

Would he want to be alone? Was he wanting comfort but couldn’t ask for it? Would he be _angry_ that she attempted to understand his pain? That she only now seemed to care about his dream?

It was times like this she wished for Hisashi. He always had a plan- always seemed so sure of himself. Yet he was ripped away from them to soon.

…

_I’ll give him some time, make Katsudon tomorrow and let the school know he won’t be coming in. Yeah, just give him some time and show him all the love in the world. All the love he deserves._

_Yet._

When her boy stepped out his room the next morning; she thought her _husband_ had walked out those doors.

Walking with purpose, an air of surety following him, and his eyes were nearly burning with determination.

_Did I have one to many cups of sake or did yesterday not happen? Maybe I’m dreaming._

“Morning Izuku, h-how are you feeling? Oh, I let the school know you won’t be coming in today.”

He gave her a small smile, a true genuine smile.

“Morning mom, I’m fine, and that works great- gonna be heading out for a bit,” he must have noticed the look of absolute horror on her face, “don’t worry it’s just to get some parts for my computer. I promise I’ll be safe.” He gave her a reassuring, toothy smile. _He’s not stuttering!?_

Inko wasn’t sure if she should be elated at the burst of confidence, or terrified that he may have finally snapped.

“Izuku,” she paused to consider her next words. _Maybe he accepted it and this is him moving on?_ “you know I will always love you, right?”

“I know mom. I’ll see you later, I love you!” He shouted as he shut the door behind him, leaving Inko staring at what was the near spitting image of her husband.

She pinched herself.

No, she was awake. Then what happened to set a fire within her baby?

* * *

_Cole McG’s Electronics._

A small electronics shop in the Musutafu area. The establishments’ name written in, big, yellow letters above the glass panes that made up the stores front.

After a -somewhat- long night of researching anything associated to Cole MacGrath, this was the best he could come up with. The only other option being a 73year old man currently living in Australia. Izuku didn’t have the funds for that kind of excursion- plus he was lucky enough to get out the door this morning, how he managed to keep a straight face in front of his mother was beyond him.

Besides if this guy new Delsin or was in any way associated to his activities as _The Smoker_ , there was a pretty high chance he would be in the area… he hoped.

_I really don’t want to have to phone some random guy in another country._

Shaking himself out of his mumbling Izuku pressed forward to the shops front, the bell ringing as he entered.

The shop smelled like a new computer, mechanical yet oddly distinct. Headphones, TVs, keyboards, and an assortment of other devices and accessories lined the walls and island cabinet in the center of the otherwise small shop. A marble counter occupied the far end of the walled room, phone cases hanging behind it, but that’s not where Izuku’s attention was sitting. He was looking at the man sitting at the counter, reading a…

…

Izuku’s faced turned a neon red.

“E-e-excuse me!” Izuku called, keeping his eyes glued to the, now, very interesting computer screen on his left.

The man looked up, taking a second to register there was a person there before finally choking on air and throwing the… explicit magazine under the counter.

“H-howdy,” he cleared his throat, _American- that’s a good sign_. “how can I help you little man? You looking for some computer parts, or are you here for a new phone case. Just got in some All Might covers if you’re interested?”

“Really?” his fanboy slipping through for a second before flinching.

_Guess I’m not over that yet, focus!_

“A-actually no. I-I’m actually l-looking for s-s-s-someone.”

“Alright?” he gave Izuku a wary look, his right tattooed arm dropping behind the table. “Well, let it rip little buddy.”

Izuku finally got a good look at him. Large but not overly so, he wore a green bowling shirt with a white undershirt- a pair of dice on the front. His hair was swept back and he was wearing a pair of… sunglasses?

_He’s indoors?_

“I-I’m l-looking for the o-o-owner?” it came out as more of a question than a request.

“A-a Mr. MacGrath? Are y-you him, o-or is h-he here?” _Please be here._

The man’s face scrunched up a little before relaxing, his right arm tensing – not that Izuku noticed.

“No, I ain’t him. Can I ask why you’re looking for the big man? If it’s about work, I’m afraid we aren’t looking for hires.” His voice turning stern.

Izuku took a shaky breath.

_No turning back now, you need to find out who this guy is and what he meant to Delsin._

If Izuku was being honest with himself, he wasn’t entirely sure _why_ he was looking for this man. Some part of him hoped he could help Izuku make sense of the images he saw, another part of him hoped he could help him understand who Delsin was as a person- and for some reason; a very small part of him just wanted to see the man again…

 _Again?!_ Izuku shook his head. _Thoughts for later. Though definitely bookmarking that._

“I-it’s a-about a p-person he m-may have k-known?” Izuku took another deep breath, closing his eyes, “u-uh his n-name was, D-D-Delsin”

Then he heard a click.

_What?_

He opened his eyes… to the business end of a very loaded gun.

_Right… vigilante. Oops._

What followed was an electrical **_BZZZ_** , and then darkness.

“Zeke, what the hell!”

* * *

Inko felt a shiver run up her spine.

_Something was wrong!_

No, Izuku had said he was just going to get some stuff for his computer.

_Where?_

Her hands started to shake.

_He didn’t say where, and a lot can happen between here and the-_

She still had the detective’s number!

_No calm down Inko, you’re being paranoid._

But what if?

The phone was already ringing before she could fully process her paranoid thoughts. Then the call was picked up.

She took a steadying breath.

“Hello is this Detective Tsukauchi?”

* * *

Zeke’s week had already been shitty enough as is.

First, he got his teeth nearly knocked out by this jaw-dropping bunny girl- how was he supposed know she was a top ten hero- then his tip on a Trigger deal went south, when they showed up the building was torched and cops and heroes were everywhere.

Then…

Then they lost Del.

Mr. Beanie-chain himself got beat- and it both emptied Zeke and terrified him at the same time.

Someone… _something_ had got _DEL!_

The guy who he would bet money on in a fight with Endeavor, was dead.

That news had nearly destroyed Fetch. He knew there was something else going on between the two, they had always been close, but seeing her face after the news, it hurt like hell.

She said she needed some air- that was yesterday.

Eugene hadn’t left his room and Cole had been out all day, presumably tracking down the bastard that had got to Delsin. Hell, the only reason he wasn’t out there with his six-shooter, busting down doors was ‘cause they had a façade to keep up.

So, when some kid had interrupted his… leisure reading, he did not expect to have to pull his piece on him. Maybe get a new phone cover, that was normal; or some computer parts, easy enough; hell, even looking for a job would be expected- but he did not expect Del’s name to get dropped right next to Coles.

Thank god Cole got back when he did, ‘cause he did not know how to explain pulling a gun on a kid to some random person who may have walked by. Though maybe it would have been less painful.

“Zeke, what the hell!”

**_SMACK!_ **

“You don’t have to hit me so hard Cole!” he shouted rubbing his throbbing jaw.

“Then do you care to explain to me _WHY_ you were holding a _KID_ at gun point, in the middle of the shop during broad daylight!?” Coles gruff voice filled the air of the backroom as he dragged the unconscious kid through.

“He was acting all suspicious-like –“

“And that means you can pull a gun on him!” Cole’s irritation with his best friend was very evident.

“He knew Del, Cole!”

Cole visibly recoiled before taking another looking at the unconscious boy, they had put him down on the work bench.

Cole took a deep breath.

“You get Eugene, I’m going to call Fetch, and then you are gonna tell us everything and we’ll take it from there.”

“You got it man.” Zeke nodded before making his way to the basement.

_This just isn’t my week._

* * *

Tsukauchi was near blazing down the streets of Musutafu.

_Can’t the kid stay out of trouble for one day._

When Miss Midoriya had phoned him about a bad feeling concerning her son, he assumed it was just her being a concerned parent, worried about her son after a traumatic event. 

Then she mentioned something about an electronics shop.

If there was one thing Tsukauchi had learnt to trust it was his gut, and right now it was screaming at him that this kid knew something he shouldn’t. Did Rowe mention his name? No, he wouldn’t be that careless-

_Goddammit!_

He just hoped it was Zeke behind the counter and not Walker- he was pretty sure she would vaporize him if he mentioned Delsin.

_Please be Zeke and please be alive kid._

* * *

Izuku’s head hurt like hell.

This was the second time in two days that he’s been knocked out and he was getting tired of it.

_Maybe I need to just wear a pillow from no on- at least then when I pass out, I won’t hit my head._

He tried to move his hands to rub his head, only… they were tied down.

_Y-yeah, that’s not g-good._

He swiveled his head around, ignoring the rush of blood that caused his vision to somewhat blur for second, the adrenaline was in control now.

He was strapped down to a steel work bench with a rubber mat over the top, rope kept his ankles and arms tied down. He could see quirk-suppressing cuffs on his wrists- _Ironic._

He looked around the room, a bench sat a few feet away from him on the adjacent, exposed-brick, wall to his right- to his left another wall. One more metal work bench lay in the center of the room, electronic parts littering its surface. The exiting door on the left of it and a stair-well going down behind the island table with TVs stacked next to it.

What really drew his attention were the four people standing around said table.

He recognized the man from the counter, closest to where he was laying, gun now strapped to his side- it was the other three that made his mind feel weird. He knew he had never met these people before, yet they looked so familiar.

A woman with magenta hair done up in small pony-tail, a thigh length green jacket covered her white undershirt, and shorts were accompanied by very tattered leg-stockings that traveled down to brown boots.

Next to her stood a man wearing a white and red jacket with the hoodie covering his hair, glasses sitting on his face and a red shirt with two H’s on it – one above the other and stylized too. Ankle length brown pants and a pair of shoes completed his outfit.

Finally, stood on the side of the table closest to the door, a man with hair so short you could see his scalp. He wore a yellow leather jacket with black accents and pair of long cargo pants.

They appeared to be discussing something, the girl with magenta hair yelling at the man in the yellow jacket.

_Please don’t be discussing how you are gonna kill me_

_._

The echoes of the argument finally reached his ears.

“….knows something about D, Cole. He knows that D knew you! And he shows up the DAY after we lose him, give me one reason why I shouldn’t vaporize him!” The magenta-haired girl yel-

_VAPORIZE ME!_

“We are not vaporizing a kid, Fetch!” the bald man argued back.

_Oh, thank Kami._

“Zeke already pulled a _gun_ on him! Do you really think we can let him walk away! What if he goes to the cops!?” Izuku hated that she was making good points. “We talk to him! If he knew Delsin and knows that I was connected to him maybe we can figure out what he wanted, but I am not killing a kid!” _Equally good points._

“How do you know if he’s even a kid? For all we know he could have a shape-shifting quir-“

“That would have shut off as soon as the cuffs went on?!” the bald man quickly argued back.

“He could be one of us.” For some reason that seemed to shut everyone at the table up.

“T-they didn’t know about Cole though,” the man with glasses meekly argued, though even he seemed unsure of his answer. “I wouldn’t put it past that old witch to figure it out eventually” the man from the store looked like he had seen a ghost, his hand subconsciously gripping his gun.

_Ok, this conversation is not going in favor of me, I need to say something._

“H-hello”

_Really, that’s the best you could come up with, you pathetic excuse of a brain!?_

All heads snapped towards him, the girls fist glowing, the clerk drawing his weapon and the man with glasses holding his hands towards the… TV?

_No time for quirks._

“I-I-I’M NOT HERE TO H-HURT ANYONE! I-I’m just l-l-looking for a Mr. M-MacGrath,” shutting his eyes as soon as he finished, waiting for the attack.

“Alright everyone cool it!” the man in yellow barked out, putting himself between Izuku and the group of people ready to turn him into dust.

“T-thank you”

The man turned towards Izuku.

“Just ‘cause I didn’t let them dust you doesn’t mean we’re cool either, you got some explaining to do and quick.”

Izuku’s face turned paler.

“I j-just want t-to find M-Mr. MacGrath, which I-I heard he was y-you r-r-right?” _Please don’t kill me._

“Yeah you said so, what I want to know is why- who are you working for, how did you find me, and how did you know Delsin?” His face was a steely cold.

“I-I’m not working for anyone, I just looked up your name on the internet and-“ a short chuckle came from the man with the gun.

“Told you we should’ve changed the name”

“Not the time Zeke” Cole quickly snapped back, quickly turning towards Izuku- gesturing for him to continue.

Unfortunately, the door slammed open as soon as Izuku opened his mouth.

“Zeke have you seen a kid-“ A laser-looking projectile impacted the wall next to him, the detective quickly ducking to the floor before righting himself, “What the hell Walker!”

“It’s Fetch and what do you think you’re doing barging in here like that!” she argued back, the pinkish- purple wisps of energy quickly disappearing. A blue flash of light went off behind her.

“I’m looking for a-“ Tsukauchi paused, properly taking in the scene in front of him.

“What. The fuck. Am I looking at,” the disappointment on his face was mixed with resignation.

Zeke quickly stepped up to the officer.

“We can explain; this kid walked in asking about Cole and saying he knew Del”

“Don’t forget to mention you pulled a gun on him,” an audible sigh left Zeke.

“Thanks Eugene, just add to my shit week why-don’t-you”

“YOU PULLED A GUN ON HIM!” Tsukauchi yelled loud enough that Izuku thought of Present Mic for a second.

“Just announce it to the world while you're at it.” Fetch rolled her eyes.

“Shut it, you’re lucky I don’t arrest you all here for _KIDNAPPING_ a 15-year-old!”

“A 15-year-old who connected D and Cole, Badge!” wisps of energy starting leak out of her clenched-fist. The Detectives hand moved to his side-arm.

“DETECTIVE!” all eyes turned to Cole.

“Can you please explain how you know this kid and just help me unfuck this situation so I can go grab a beer” Cole was pinching the bridge of his nose, seconds away from getting a migraine.

Izuku felt for him.

Everyone seemed to lower their weapons. All eyes turned towards Tsukauchi, who let out ‘I’m so done with this’ sigh.

“He was there when Delsin died,” Fetch’s fist immediately began to glow again.

“The kid tried to save him”

Fetch’s hand dropped to her side, tears forming at corners of her eyes.

“What?” her voice cracked, laced with guilt.

All eyes were glued to Izuku who couldn’t meet theirs.

_They were **his** friends._

“He was the one who phoned me, we found him passed out next to Delsin, his jacket was covering the wound. He tried to help him.”

Cole was the first to shake himself awake, “Wait then how did he know about me?” Now it was Izuku’s turn to answer.

All eyes on him waiting for an answer.

He steeled himself, “When I was with Delsin, right before he-“ he could feel the grief that he had largely ignored up until now swelling up, tears edging out his eyes.

 _Come on, just do it_. _You came all this way, no back out now. Just do it-_

Izuku felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up seeing Tsukauchi giving him a reassuring look. Izuku swallowed hard.

“right before he died, his hand touched mine and something happened,” He hadn’t told Tsukauchi about this, evident by the confused look on his face.

Izuku could feel the anxiety, the grief, the fear- it was all rising to the surface.

The kettle was about to burst, and he couldn't do a thing to stop what came next

“I had these vis-“ 

It exploded, and the room was covered in smoke.

* * *

Inko was getting worried.

The Detective hadn’t called back and it had been nearly 4 hours since Izuku left. All this after the day of that man’s death and the look in her sons eyes this morning was doing nothing to help her nerves.

Her son was smart, incredibly so when it came to quirks- he spent about as much time researching quirks as he did breathing. If she was being honest, if he wanted to, he could become an amazing quirk counselor or even analyst for heroes.

A darker part of her thought about what would happen if he worked for vil-

She slammed that thought harder than one of All Might’s Smashes.

_No, don’t be ridiculous, he’s your son- your Izuku. He would never do that._

She took a calming breath.

She needs to trust him, he knows to be careful, the detective is looking for him just in case.

_He probably just got caught up writing about some hero, or talking with the guy at the shops about how to upgrade his computer._

She turned back to the Katsudon she was making, _stop being paranoid,_ there had been no villain attacks in the area and Izuku knew to stick to the main roads.

She just couldn’t shake this feeling that something big happened.

* * *

_*Cough*cough*cough*cough*_

Tsukauchi was still clearing his throat of the sudden burst of dust, he could faintly hear Cole checking on Zeke and the rest to his left.

“What the hell happened!?” Fetch shouted next to Cole, hands glowing with her neon.

“It felt like a grenade went off!” Zeke yelled, wiping his ever-present sunglasses.

“urgggh” a groan came from the bottom of the stairs.

“Eugene you okay man!?” Zeke yelled.

“You don’t have to shout, I’m right next to you,” _Wait what?_

Tsukauchi and Cole did a head count, all accounted for- except-

“Where’s the kid?” Fetch asked before anyone else.

Another groan came from the stairs, much closer now.

Izuku arose from the depths of the building.

“What happened?” All eyes snapped to the table, then back to the green-haired boy.

“What the hell?” Fetch asked, voice filled with disbelief.

Tsukauchi knew exactly why; the bindings were still tied, and the quirk restraints were lying on the table where the kid used to be- but that’s not what scared Tsukauchi.

No what scared him was what was currently dancing around the _previously_ -Quirkless boys’ arms and chest.

_Smoke._

Black whispers of smoke with green embers floating in between, covered his arms and torso.

“H-how did I get blown down the s-stairs?” the ever present-stuttering voice pierced the stunned veil of the workshop.

All eyes were staring at Izuku, he slowly looked up meet theirs.

“W-what?”

Eugene slowly pointed at Izuku’s torso. Izuku gave him a quizzical look before following where the gaming-nerd was pointing.

All was quiet for nearly a minute before Izuku ‘spoke’ again.

…

“ **WHAT THE FU-** “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot longer than the first two but I felt like this chapter needed that extra space. Don't know if that will be a regular occurrence.
> 
> Now to address the topics.
> 
> Yup green beans' got smoke, he doesn't know how control it properly right now but that will come with time. He's got a lot of room to grow and I want his powers to represent that, not sure how well it's gonna work but I'm gonna try my hardest.
> 
> We got introduced to the crew! Yes I know calling them "The Conduits" is a little cringe but there's a reason for that that will get explained.
> 
> If you haven't picked it up I've already planned out a chunk of this story, I mean I already know how it's gonna end so there shouldn't be too many inconsistencies but that does mean there will be a lot of hints a long the way.
> 
> Finally my upload schedule. I'm not on a set timeline for uploads, I write when I get inspiration and right now it's like train running me over with all the ideas. I do try and write a little bit a day, music usually helps, but there will be days I need a break, so just putting this out there.
> 
> With that I'll see ya next time.


	4. Smoketastic Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explanations, promises and Inko gets the wrong idea.

“ **UCK!!** ”

Izuku stared at his arm… his smoke covered arm. One moment he felt like he was having a mental breakdown, ‘cause evidently one night’s semi-sleep and vowing to honor someone isn’t enough to get over emotional trauma- _Go figure,_ and then it felt like his body was being pulled apart and then mashed back together a second later and he was at the bottom of a flight of stairs. But, it didn’t hurt.

Getting pulled apart literally felt like moving in one direction, only, he wasn’t moving as a whole. He felt heavy but light, separated but still connected. He assumed that maybe the magenta-haired girl, Fetch was her name, had enough of the babbling and decided to put him out of his misery- but that should have hurt too. Even falling down the steps was more like being smacked with a pillow, blunt but soft.

He knew since the formation of quirks that the human body had adapted to the new forces of destruction by becoming slightly denser and more resistant, but falling down on hard concrete should still hurt, and getting a quirk should not be a by-product of it.

He knew it was a quirk and he knew it was somehow his, he could feel the wispy-embers pouring out of him and pooling around his arms and chest- he could feel the power waiting to burst forward. It was surreal, the energy wanted to ascend, to burst out and climb higher- but there was more. There was something else circling through, power that dwarfed what he was seeing now, as if it was simply showing him the embers that were occasionally flung around from a roaring inferno. It was like it was teasing him, pouring small drops of potential into his mouth, and he was getting drunk on just the feeling alone.

Before he could get more absorbed into it an energy blast slammed into his chest, nearly pushing back down the stair-well before a firm hand gripped the front of his shirt, the smoke colliding with the energy surrounding his assailants’ hand in beautiful mix of black-green embers and pink-purple power. Green eyes met burning magenta, her power leaking out of her irises due to sheer anger. Her teeth where grit and her face clearly conveyed the message that she was a second away from putting a hole through his chest.

“How do you hAVE HIS POWER!?” her voice screamed bloody murder, and Izuku was petty sure it was about to be _his_ death.

“I-I-I-I d-don’t-“

“You either talk or I will turn you into **ASH!** ”

A blast of electricity struck her chest, throwing her back onto the island table, the few parts that remained on it being knocked onto the floor. A hand was situated where Fetch used to be, Izuku followed it to a yellow jacket… Cole.

A burst of pink filled the room, Izuku only seeing a form of swirling energy running straight at him for a split second before a glowing blue form intercepted it. “ **Calm your anger, My Lady** ” a mechanically-ethereal voice stated in the most formal manner Izuku had ever heard outside of those old knight movies- then he really looked where the voice had originated from.

Beautiful blue wings of energy led to metal arches of black and gold that converged on the creatures back-armor. Silver plates adorned that creatures form, a black secondary with gold highlights decorated the fine metal, eagle-like pauldrons adorned its broad shoulders and a solid-gold halo surrounded the helm. The strangest part of it all, was the squares of white-light that danced around the Angel-Knights wings.

_So cool._ Izuku stared in awe.

“ **Thank you, mortal** ” the angels voice brought him to focus. _Stupid muttering._

“Move Eugene!” Izuku did a double take, _That’s the guy with glasses?!_

“Fetch, you need to cool it” Zeke had his hand on her shoulder, the other hand firmly on the handle of his weapon. Her burning irises made contact with tinted frames, an unspoken conversation occurring between the two.

After a long moment her shoulders seemed to sag; though her glare showed no sign of alleviating. “How do you have his power?” her tone gave an idea of just how much she was holding back, Izuku couldn’t help but compare her anger to that of Kacchan.

“I-I d-don’t know,” he was just as confused as them at this point. “I-it j-just…h-happened?”

“It just happened?” Cole looked like he really needed that beer. “How does developing the powers of a dead guy just happen?”

“L-like I told y-you, I d-don’t know” Izuku was running through the possibilities of someone being able to transfer their quirk, this was the first case he had ever heard of. _How is this even possible, transferring a quirk is like transferring your DNA, considering your quirk is a physical aspect of your biology, to transfer it you would need to be able to transfer the Quirk-factor and I haven’t seen any researchinbeingabletosingle-outthespecificcellgrouping…_

The group stared at teen who was running his mouth a mile-a-minute.

“Hey little buddy, cool your analysis quirk, its impossible to keep up with” Zeke’s head was starting to hurt from trying to process it all.

Izuku flinched hard.

“I-I don’t h-have a q-quirk, or at least I-I didn’t…” he trailed off towards the end, pain and confusion written on his face. “He’s not lying,” Tsukauchi voiced, his quirk supplying him with the answer- he could have told them that anyway due to prior knowledge but he thought this would work better. “He’s not lying about not knowing nor, not having a quirk prior to today.” This only sparked more questions, but before they could be voiced. “Guys!” all attention was drawn to the now human version of Eugene.

“We all know what Delsin’s power is-was, right?” Receiving nods of confirmation from the group of vigilantes and the detective. “Then do you really think it’s impossible for him to give it to another considering?”

“What are you getting at Sims’?” Tsukauchi spoke up.

“What if he gave it to him as a means of preservation?”

“Like what, his power told death to shove it and hopped onto green-bean over here?” Izuku would have been embarrassed by the nickname Zeke came up with, if he wasn’t having an internal crisis.

_I have a quirk, Delsin gave me his quirk! Did he choose me? Was it intentional or was it just a fluke? No, it had to have been a fluke, there’s no way he could have known his quirk was able to do something like that? How is that even possible? Oh God, what’s Kacchan gonna say when he sees me, he’s gonna think I’ve been lying to him, no way he would believe someone transferred it to me. Would he? Oh, what’s my mom gonna thi-_

“MY MOM!” Izuku’s eyes blew wide open. How long had he been gone? If the detective was here looking for him then he knew it had been a while. _Maybe I should just let Fetch vaporize me._

“Oh come on!” Zeke sighed in defeat; this week was just gonna have to kill him to make it worse at this point. “Please don’t tell me we’re gonna have to deal with a vengeful mother?” he was pleading to whoever was above at this point. The detective cleared his throat, “Your mother did ask me to come looking for you, that was an hour ago” he rubbed the back of his neck, this was so gonna bite him in the ass.

“Vengeful mother it is,” Eugene dead-panned.

“I-I need to call her,” Izuku started towards the door before a flash of pink blocked his path. “Like hell you’re just walking out of here”

“Oh my- Walker can you just cool it for a second, he’s not going to call an attack squad!” Tsukauchi pulled her aside. “Just calm it for a sec alright? Please.”

After a moment of tense air, she dropped her glowing fist, letting out a defeated sigh. “Whatever. I still don’t like this shit.”

“Thank you, and Midoriya,” Izuku snapped his attention to the detective, “We aren’t done here, I’m gonna phone your mother and let her know you got caught up talking about… computer parts. I think she would trust it more if I reported it in to her, alright.” Izuku gave a quick nod, he knew he was a terrible liar, especially when already stressed.

“Good, also can you switch off the, uh, smoke thing please- and don’t kill him while I’m literally right outside got it,” he gave a pointed to look at Fetch. She rolled her eyes, “Yeah Badge, I won’t touch him”

“Cole don’t let her touch him”

“You now I beat up murderers almost every other night, right?” Cole dead-panned. Tsukauchi let out a tired sigh, silently making his way outside the workshop.

After a moment of silence.

“Umm, s-so how do I-I turn it off?” Izuku turned his gaze to the group, looking for some sort of assistance. His eyes met equally confused irises. “Hold your breath?” Zeke shrugged.

“I don’t think that’s how-“ Cole never got to finish. “It’s out!” Izuku was inspecting every last inch of himself for any traces of the power, but true to his words there was nothing. _Must be like smothering coals on a fire, take away the air and it loses its spark_ , Izuku hummed to himself. Cole face palmed, “Of course that worked” he really needed that beer now, but first… 

“Ok, before we get any more surprises, kid; can you please explain how you knew about my connection to Del, why you decided it was a good idea to go looking for me, and what exactly happened yesterday.” Cole just needed a straight answer, without somebody or something blowing up.

“Y-yeah, sure.” Izuku pushed away the guilt that swelled at the thought of retelling the previous days’ events, the group of four payed rapt attention to him.

_Deep breath, and here we go._

“So, I was walking p-past this alley…”

* * *

 _He’s safe_.

The call from Detective Tsukauchi had eased her worries and beating heart back to acceptable levels- which was just below getting a tracker installed- and now she could relax a bit. Though one bit of her information tugged at her mind.

Izuku had spent most of the day talking about computers.

_If he got this drawn in to computers, maybe that’s how he’s coping with all of this. He’s shifting his focus and diving right in, he has the intelligence and diligence, oh my baby could be a tech guru!_ She squealed in delight.

Inko’s worry was now turning into excitement, her son was moving on and in a safe and healthy way. He was finding a new passion that took him away from all the danger!

That comfort-katsudon just became celebration-katsudon, she was going to have to question Izuku when he got back.

_Today is going to be a turning point for the Midoriya household!_

* * *

“Then I w-woke up and it felt like my h-head was on fire… a-actually it felt like my whole body has just been i-incinerated, put back together and then t-thrown into an electrical fence. After that I got taken to the h-hospital and t-that’s about it.” Izuku wiped away the few tears that had spilled while remembering his failure, having kept in most of his whirlwind of emotions.

The rest of the group took in the information quietly, patiently waiting for Izuku to give his take of their friends last moments- Fetch managing to restrain her torrent of emotions from lashing out.

“Thanks for helping him, you didn’t have to especially when you found out his… hobby” Zeke cleared his throat, making sure to restrain the rare feeling of wanting to break down.

“And sorry for, uh… tying you down and the whole interrogation thing” Eugene gestured to makeshift restraints, quietly adjusting his hood so it hid more of his face. “I-It’s ok, I see that w-walking in to a place that’s supposed to be r-run by someone who knows a v-vigilante, and t-then asking about their… f-friend who had… yeah, wasn’t the b-best idea” Izuku rubbed that back of his head, his shoes becoming very interesting all of a sudden.

Cole clicked his tongue.

“That’s still something you haven’t explained: why _did_ you come looking for me? I mean the only thing I can think of; is making sense of the visions- though most would just chalk that up to truama. Even then I don’t think that would be enough. And I doubt you’re doing this for shits-and-giggles, no offence you just don’t scream daredevil to me.” Cole mused, leaning against the workshop table, arms crossed with a pensive look on his face.

“T-that’s the part that I’m still t-trying to figure out myself.”

“Explain” Fetch blurted out, she was on the wall near the door, knees against her chest.

Izuku took a second to think about his answer. “A part of me w-wanted to make sense of the v-visions yeah… but…” his gaze steeled and his eyes lit up with sheer will “I wanted to know who Delsin was- as a person.”

“Why?” there was no malicious bite to Fetch’s words, she just needed to make sense of something today.

A beat of silence passed before Izuku took a deep breath. “He…H-he was the first person to b-believe in me, believe I-I could be a h-hero” It was the truth, not the whole truth, just the truth he could make sense of right now.

“You want to be a hero?” Cole’s gaze hardened “Why?”

“To help others with a smile. A hero is someone who helps others regardless of fame or glory. They do it cause it’s the right thing to do.” He answered instantly, without hesitation. His eyes met Coles’, the nervous-stuttering teen nowhere to be found. “That’s the kind of hero I want to be. One that Delsin could be proud.” The conviction behind his words nearly caused Cole to fall over… at least he was right.

Cole’s gaze softened, lightly chuckling.

“You only knew him for barely an hour, and this is what he did to you… Jesus that guy was something else” Cole smiled for the first time since this whole shit-show started. He stood back up moving closer to Izuku, the height difference was enough that Cole covered most of Izuku’s vision, yet he didn’t flinch.

“I understand if you don’t want me using his quirk, but he believed I could be a hero and I won’t let you take that from me, even if I have to hide his abilities to do it” Izuku planted himself firmly, the height difference becoming inconsequential to those watching, the sheer determination making up for it.

Cole gave him a once over, his face hardening again.

“Can’t believe I’m doing this” he muttered quietly, he locked eyes with Izuku again. “You’ve got our friends powers, you got his ideology, hell your just as reckless as him,” Izuku flinched, he was used to scolding’s, and this one wasn’t going to change his decision any more than the others did.

“Fine then, but you can’t just rely on his abilities alone, especially ‘cause your natural abilities are sorely lacking.” _Wait what?_ “Dagobah beach, Saturday- I’m gonna teach you how to survive.” Cole’s smiled turned into a full-blown grin, just not one that spoke ‘I’m here to take care of you’, more like ‘I’m about to show you true pain’.

Izuku gulped.

“Wait, Cole, what in the name of all things holy are you doing?” Zeke looked genuinely confused, and slightly concerned for the health of the kid.

“Did that smoke blast knock a few things loose?” Fetch stared at Cole in disbelief. “Nothing got knocked loose, kid wants to help people, and for the right reasons at that- he’s gonna need to be able to survive.” Coles tone left no room for argument.

“It makes sense” Eugene offered his two cents, “His goals are admirable and beyond that; he has powers now, Delsin’s powers, he needs to learn to control them. Who better to help than the people that knew him best?”

“Guess you got a point” Zeke scratched the back of his head; it wasn’t going to change so might as well go for it.

_Is this really happening?_ Izuku’s brain was barely keeping up with what Cole was saying. Someone was gonna help him, someone else believed in him and was going to help make his dream come true. Granted in a very ominously-terrifying way, but the fact remained. Cole was giving him his blessing to use Delsins quirk.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Fetch looked around in disbelief, “His body isn’t even a day cold and you’re _replacing_ him?!”

“No one is replacing anyone, we’re just gonna teach him to control his powers” Zeke countered.

“Their D’s powers, not his!” she bit back.

“It’s not like he can give them back!” Zeke started raising his voice.

“Enough!” Cole cut the argument before it could gain traction, giving a pointed stare to both his friends. He moved closer to girl on the floor, gesturing for Zeke to back off. “Fetch” he kneeled in front of her, “We can’t change what happened, and no one is replacing Del- no one could. But a part of me believes that Delsin would want this. He always wanted to help others, do you think he would turn his back on that kid if he was here and it was me who kicked the can and he had my powers? Hypothetically anyway”

The tension in the air remained for a minute before Cole put a hand on her shoulder.

Fetch’s gaze held out for only a few moments longer before the tears started to show again. She sniffed, quickly wiping her eyes with her sleeve before letting out a shaky sigh. “Fine” she looked past Cole, right to Izuku. “I’m only agreeing to _let_ this happen for D, got it” her voice was more resigned than harsh, Izuku nodding quickly. He took what he could get- he didn’t want to upset her; she had gone through enough.

“Alright then” Cole stood up before heading towards the stair, stopping at the railing and turning towards Izuku. “Saturday, seven in the morning, _don’t_ be late- got it?”

“Y-y-yes, s-sir” Izuku fumbled out as quickly as possible. Cole rubbed his forehead, “Just call me Cole” Izuku nodding once again. Cole waved his hand as he made his way down the stairs, muttering something about beer- Eugene waved to Izuku before following Cole down.

A moment of awkward silence formed as the three-remaining people of today’s escapade waited for something to happen.

Zeke had enough of the tension, quickly clearing his throat, “Right, well now that that’s over, how about we go to the detective so he can get you out of here” he said, gesturing towards the door. “R-right” Izuku started making his way out. He suddenly stopped right in front of the still-sitting Fetch. He inhaled before dropping into a deep bow.

“Thank you for giving me a chance, I promise I’ll be a hero Delsin can be proud of!” Izuku near yelled out. Fetch blushed neon-red before turning away from Izuku, grumbling that it was fine- she wasn’t expecting such a response from someone she had tried to _vaporize_ multiple times today.

Zeke couldn’t help the small smile that formed at the sight of the embarrassed girl, finally seeing an emotion on her that wasn’t negative in nature. It was comforting.

She quietly turned her head back, whispering quietly “Just- just don’t fuck up… he wouldn’t want that” Izuku’s smile was blinding, “I won’t!”

“Good.” She quickly cleared her throat.

Fetch stood up and made her way to the stairs, stopping for a brief second before resuming her descent. Zeke sighed, “I’m afraid that’s as good as you’re gonna get for now. Now come on, I don’t need an angry mother breaking down my doors.” Zeke said, already back in the front of the shop. “C-coming!”

Izuku smiled as he walked towards the detective, he _was_ gonna be a hero! There were others willing to help him and he wouldn’t disappoint them. He wouldn’t disappoint _him_.

_Oh I need to think of a hero name, should I use ‘the Smoker’ in honor of Delsin? No, that would arouse suspicion and be insensitive, maybe some like ‘Smoketastic man’? I should ask my m-_

Izuku paused his train of thought, dark realization dawning on him- the names could wait.

He had explaining to do, a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

Just not in the way he expected.

When Izuku stepped through the front door of his family’s apartment he expected to be violently crushed in a hug, his mother crying into his shoulder, saying that he had scared her half-to death before pulling out a tracking chip and having that discussion again.

Except.

Only one of those happened, which was the hug. Bone-crushing, yes, however; no crying. No chip and no being grounded. Instead what he heard scared him even more.

“OH, my baby is gonna be a tech genius!” oh right, the detective said he was talking about computers to Zeke.

_Damn._

“M-mom wait it-“

“We need to start looking for high schools that specialize in computers,” Inko went into a muttering spree “oh I saw this one school of Computer Sciences a prefecture over, theyhadfantastictestscores,wecansendinanapplication,andwithyourmarks! Oh Izuku I’m so proud.” Izuku was pretty sure he could taste his lungs.

“Mom, please, wai-”

“I made Katsudon, you can tell me all about it over supper!” Inko hugged him even tighter.

“MOM!” Izuku pleaded, now he knew he could taste his lungs.

This was gonna be a long supper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: "Training like a Conduit" - with Cole MacGrath.
> 
> See ya.


	5. Training Like A Conduit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku gets some hard lessons, Cole can be evil, a paranoid mother is dangerous with a fire extinguisher, and convictions are strengthened.

Izuku had heard the tales of the once-beautiful Dagobah beach, of soft pearly sands and sunsets that would leave you speechless. Evidently, you couldn’t even count the number of proposals for marriage done here in a month with both hands. It used to just be one of those marvels of nature that not even an illusion quirk could beat.

_But now-_

Now it was one giant trash pile.

It started out small; a truck over-turned during a villain attack- his quirk was a minor telekinesis ability that resulted in dozens of microwaves and toasters getting washed up on the shore. No heroes bothered to clean it up and the people just moved further down the coast-line, either it wasn’t going to give enough publicity or they just didn’t care, but eventually the pile grew. Now it would take a hero like Mount Lady to even see over the mountains of trash. The once beautiful sands now riddled with bolts, screws and plenty of other pieces of rubbish.

Technically speaking; it was perfect for training, no one bothered to come here anymore due to just the smell let alone the actual scrap piles- therefore; no one would be close enough to disturb their training or bust them for illegal quirk usage.

Izuku looked at the wall of scrap; this would be where _Izuku The Hero_ would be forged. He breathed in deep, mentally preparing himself… and instantly he regretted it- he nearly vomited from that alone. He took a sec to let his stomach settle. It may not have been perfect, it may have stank worse than that villain with the stink-bug quirk that Endeavor blew sky-high the week prior- but no way was he gonna back out now. He took his first step onto the sandy-metal landscape-

**_ KATHUNK! _ **

And was immediately put on his back by an electrified piece of metal. “ _*Cough*_ what… was that!?” Izuku wheezed out, the mixture of the brutal blunt force and electricity causing his internal organs to spasm and leaving him gasping for air. He cracked open his eyes seeing the area in front of him, a dark silhouette stood above him with what looked a giant tuning fork held at his side, arcs of electricity bouncing around the metal and giving it an almost ethereal-blue glow.

The figure knelt down, Cole’s face becoming clearer, disappointment written on it. “And like that, your ass is fried.” He stood back up, slipping the giant tuning fork into a notch on his backpack.

“You gotta pay attention kid, no villain is gonna go as easy as I did- so consider that lesson one; when in the field, expect to get attacked at any second” Cole turned around gesturing for Izuku to pick himself up and follow, not caring that he felt like a car hit him.

After giving himself another second, Izuku picked himself up- not even bothering to dust the sand off his tracksuit- simply gripping his chest and trying to level his breathing, the edges of his vision still somewhat blotchy.

He moved in the direction of where Cole was, following his tracks in the sand.

The trail led him further into the maze of metal, his breathing returning somewhat quicker than he thought it would. As he moved further in, he could faintly smell fire, his skin and the energy within him seemed to grow warm at the thought. _Weird?_

* * *

Izuku rounded a corner… and was immediately slammed, face first, into the sand- his back feeling like it had been split in half.

“ _*Cough*_ c-can’t _*wheeze*_ breathe!” All the air he had just regained was ripped away, bile and breakfast climbing up his throat. His head was spinning and he knew he was losing consciousness.

Yet; as he was about to fade into the abyss, he felt a tugging from his core. He could barely make sense of it, it was a whirl of urges, memories, and reactions. His hand automatically thrust to the side, there was a warmth there. He pulled on the tugging sensation that he felt that tips of his fingers. After a moment of nothing…

Pure, unrestrained-power.

It felt like he just got hit with the best rejuvenation quirk in the world, warmth rushed through his body, his lungs refilling and the aching in his chest and back completely disappearing.

_That feels absolutely amazing!_

He jumped to his feet, adrenaline rushing through his body, a massive grin on his face. He had never felt better. Honestly; he felt like he could take on Miruko and hold his own, for a while at the least.

Before he had time to think on it more his senses screamed at him. In almost movie-like slow-motion; he dived forward, the metal fork passing under him. The occasional stray arc hit his chest, but it barely fazed him- it was like someone pinching his skin if anything.

His body slid across the metallic-sand, leaving his tracksuit with a good few linear-tears down the front. He spun his body around, perched in an almost animalistic pose; his hands out-stretched in front of him and his legs supporting his body with the front of his foot. He was still grinning, and so was Cole.

“Thought so” Cole sounded pleased with himself, and that brief show tore away at all the adrenaline Izuku’s body was pumping through him. His grin was replaced with a confused look, quickly putting himself in a sitting position and examining his body.

After a beat of silence and reassuring he wasn’t in any pain he looked up to Cole.

“W-what was that!?” his dumbfounded face causing Cole to burst out laughing.

“N-no seriously, o-one moment I f-felt like you b-broke my back, and then I felt like I wanted to f-fight the strongest person I could find and everything was moving so slow! What happened?!”

“I was just testing a theory, guess it worked” Coles grin never left his face.

“Which was what? Seeing if I could survive having my b-back broken?!”

“Pretty much” the nonchalant way Cole said it, as if it should have been obvious, sent a chill up Izuku’s, thankfully, not-broken spine.

“But also, to test if you inherited his regeneration,”

Cole squatted in front of him, giving him another once over, “and his natural instinct to drain nearby sources of smoke. Guess you must have needed it, cause you drained that bonfire like it was nothing.”

Izuku turned to look at the source of his sudden boost.

It was, what looked like, a broken-down van. The back doors wide open and a pile of coals littering the vehicles floor, still lightly glowing red. Izuku shifted his gaze back to Cole, now even more confused.

“Please c-can you explain; do I generate smoke or do I need to manipulate it from a source? No wait I could feel it p-pouring out of me yesterday, so does that mean I generate it but if I absorbfromanexternalsourceitboostsitormaybemybodystoressmokeandineedtorechargeandthenifiabsorbmoreitslikeoverchargingmybodysodoesbeinginjureduseupmystorestoregenratecellsordoesitboostmy-

Cole sweat-dropped, “Cool it dude, you’re gonna short-out my brain talking a mile a minute like that.”

Izuku stopped, blushing as red as a fire hydrant, “S-sorry it’s a habit” he apologized, scratching the back of his head.

“Figured as much, you did the same thing yesterday- we’ll work on it. And yeah Delsin had to store smoke from outside sources, once he had it, he had it- but he still needed a top up if he used to much. How’s your body feeling?”

Izuku tried to feel around for any pain, other than some slight stiffness in his back, there weren’t any major aches or visible bruises.

“Nothing from what I can see, just some stiffness in my back.” Izuku looked up and was met with stone-cold gaze of his new mentor, he swore he could see arcs of electricity dancing around his irises.

He did his best to resist gulping down his fear.

“Before we start there is one thing you have to know” Izuku steeled himself as best he could.

“I’m not some pro hero who had formal training, I’m a vigilante- a Conduit- so you’re gonna learn how I did; getting your ass handed to you ‘til you start learning how not to. The world didn’t give me a chance to go through trial runs or practices, its unfair out there and people die every day- I’m gonna teach you to not be one of them. It’s gonna be hell, I’m gonna break you every day and your new power is gonna take care of the healing so we can go just as hard the next day. Those surprise hits are nothing compared to what some people will do to you, and they won’t give you time to react like I did.”

Gone was the jovial laughter and mad-grinning that Izuku saw moments ago, Cole’s face only conveyed the weight of his words; he had learned the hard way to survive, to fight back.

Izuku was gonna have to learn the same.

“You have years to catch up on and you need to do it in months. In that time, you need to learn some semblance of control with your smoke, and you need to get the natural power to back it up. Del’s enhanced body and strengthening can only do so much… you need to go the distance if you’re gonna have any chance at making it.” he punctuated each point with a poke to Izuku’s chest, the force causing the phantom aches to resurge, a tightness forming around his chest- or it was just the gravity of the situation finally hitting him.

Izuku looked at his hands, trying and failing to call _Smoke_ out. He was _weak_ , he barely had any muscle as it stood, and he couldn’t run a hill without feeling winded- he needed to be better.

He had to be better.

That sense of dread turned into resolve. “I will” he poured every last bit of conviction into those words, embers and wisps of black and green starting leave his hands.

His smoking eyes met Coles.

“I’ve wanted the chance to be a hero my whole life… I’ve wanted someone to believe that I could,” Cole didn’t say a word.

Izuku needed to hear reality and still be able to show that dedication Cole saw the other day- he needed to know Izuku could persevere through the hell that he would one day face.

“Delsin believed in me, he barely knew me, but he saw a hero in me… and here you are giving me a chance. I won’t give up just cause it’s gonna be hard” Izuku stood up, squaring his shoulders as smoke pooled around his body- the embers of green nowhere near as bright as the fire behind his eyes.

“I’ll take whatever you can throw at me.”

Cole laughed, bringing himself to his full height- his grin returning in full force.

“Good, wouldn’t be fun if you just rolled over” Cole let electricity dance around his fingers.

“Then let’s get to it, you have a beach to clean and only 10 months to do it” he stated, turning around and making his back to the edge of the trash piles.

Izuku paused, blinking rapidly.

“Wait I’m cleaning all this!?” he asked, slightly dumbfounded.

“Yup!” called back, his laughter echoing off the metal sheets.

Izuku sighed. _This is gonna be hell._ He looked at his hands, watching as the smoke danced around his arms.

His vow ran through his mind- his promise to Delsin. He clenched his hands into a fist, the smoke withdrawing into him.

He stared at where Cole had walked off to.

_It’s gonna be worth it_.

* * *

Izuku started after Cole, catching up as they made it to the outer edges of the mountain of metal.

Cole paused suddenly, looking as if he was contemplating something.

After a moment of silence, he turned to Izuku, “Did-“ he paused again, seeming to really consider the headache that his next words may bring... and if he was in a close enough distance to a beer

“Did you tell your mom about your new powers? Or of _anything_ that happened yesterday?”

Izuku shivered. Cole started edging towards the road, contemplating whether he should grab that beer first.

“I-I-I t-told her a-about my p-powers…“ Izuku paused.

Cole did not like ominous pauses, not without alcohol in hands. “And what about t-the, uh, kidnapping thing?” Cole dared to ask.

_Should have grabbed the beer first._

“N-no I d-didn’t say anything a-about that.” Cole could feel his soul re-enter his body, letting out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. “Cool…”

A moment of silence passed.

“How did she react to the whole,” he gestured at the entirety of Izuku with his hand, “Not-quirkless-anymore… thing?” Izuku shivered.

_Why did he shiver? More importantly why don’t I have a beer?_

Izuku scratched the back of his head, looking slightly paler. “Well…”

* * *

_Inko stared blankly at her son, trying to wrap her head around what he had just dropped on her. The celebration-katsudon in front of her now… well she was to confused to try and figure that out right now._

_She swallowed hard before saying the first thing that came to her mind, “What?”_

_Izuku looked equally uncomfortable, his head near buried in his food. “I-I-I s-still want to b-be a h-h-hero… a-and I have a q-q-quirk” the last part barely audible, but Inko felt like he had shouted it in her ear._

_Inko stood up, slowly making her way to Izuku. She knelt down in front of him, Izuku letting out a tiny ‘Eep’ as she did._

_She took a deep breath before speaking, “Izuku” her voice carried as much motherly love and acceptance as she could manage. “Y-yes?” he squeaked in response._

_“Are you taking drugs?” Her face didn’t show a hint of humor._

_Izuku blinked, letting the words register. “W-what?! N-no I’m not t-taking drugs! W-where would I even get them? Why would I even take them?”_

_“Everyone deals with trauma in their own way, but Izuku I want you to know I won’t be mad I-“_

_“Mom I’m n-not on d-drugs!”_

_“I won’t judge you”_

_“Mom!” he grabbed onto her shoulders, gently forcing her to look him in eyes. “I’m not on drugs and I have a quirk… I’m gonna be a hero.”_

_Izuku kept eye contact as he let his mother digest the aura of surety he was exuding._

_Suddenly her eyes blew wide open, her mouth near touching the floor. Izuku quickly let go of her shoulders, “Mom! Are you okay is something wr-“_

_“Your hair is smoking?” she sluggishly pointed to Izuku’s head. It took Izuku another moment, “What?!” he quickly rushed to the mirror in the bathroom and true to her words smoke was leaking of his hair, green embers dancing in between._

_“Yes!”_

_He rushed back to the kitchen; a grin plastered on his face- he had proof._

_“Wait mom this is… my… quirk” His outburst of joy quickly turned to horror at the sight in front of him._

_His mother was in the door-way._

_His mother was in the door-way holding a red, metallic object._

_His mother was in the door-way holding a fire extinguisher… a primed-extinguisher._

_He gulped._

_“M-MOM WAIT!”_

_“HOLD STILL IZUKU, I’LL SAVE YOU!”_

_“MOM!”_

* * *

Izuku shook himself out of the memory. “It took a lot explaining… and fire extinguishers” he added the words quietly.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! Anyway, where should I start?” he deflected, instead offering a million-watt smile.

Cole gave him a quizzical look. “Right-“ he cleared his throat. “We’ll start off with small stuff, I got Tsukauchi to pull some strings and get us a garbage container so you’ll dump it all there.” He pointed to the hulking metal-bucket situated in the parking lot.

“Got it?” Izuku nodded. “Then get to it”

“Right!”

Izuku picked up the first thing he could find that wouldn’t topple the mountain in front of him. _Prefer not to test how far this regeneration can go just yet_. He hummed to himself while picking up a microwave.

He weighed it, _Not too bad_ , he started walking up towards the edge of the beach… and was promptly shot forward. The metal edge digging into his ribs as his face was planted into the sand for the _third_ time today.

“Ow” he groaned out.

He shook the sand from his eyes, turning around and begging for an answer, “What did I do know? Or is this testing something?”

Cole shook his head, grinning like a madman. “I said I was gonna break you, didn’t I?” Izuku paled “Y-you m-mean-“

“Yup, there ain’t no rest for the wicked, you gotta always be on guard” he pointed to the toaster that was still digging into the green-teens stomach. “That could have very easily been a person you were carrying, and now you’re crushing them while you let a villain monologue to you”

The reveal hit Izuku like a train. He turned his back on a threat- minutes after said threat had warned him that in the real world; the person he was facing wouldn’t wait.

He felt really stupid.

“Hey” Cole brought Izuku’s attention towards him. “No giving up, I said I’m not some hero-teacher and I meant it… but I am also here to train you, so that” he gestured to faux-person now lying next to Izuku. “doesn’t happen. I’ll chew you out constantly, but that’s so you can learn.”

Izuku looked at his mentor. Behind that rough exterior was someone who believed in him, someone who was giving him a chance. He looked to the microwave next to him, his mind imagining Delsin in its place.

_I won’t fail again._

He stood up, moving over to the microwave. He picked up the metal contraption, starting towards the edge of the sand again.

He faintly heard a popping behind him- he jumped to the right. The bolt of electricity catching him on his left, the muscles seizing up and forcing him to land awkwardly on his right arm. His back shielding the faux-victim, still firmly in his grasp.

Cole grinned.

“Not bad, you even managed to keep the civilian shielded. We’ll work on your reaction time and the power behind your movements… but not bad” His smile turned playful, energy pooling in his hand. “Now, you still have a dumpster to get to”

Izuku’s eyes lit up. “Yes sir” he grinned. Cole let out a small chuckle at the tease.

“Guess that teaching guide wasn’t wrong about the sandwich thing” Cole, mumbled under his breath, raising his hand, taking aim with a smile on his face.

Izuku picked himself up and kept moving, sprinting this time round- the smile on his face never faltering. Even as the popping and crackling sound closed in.

The morning sun hit his forehead as he climbed, an ethereal glow surrounding his head as smoke poured out of him- eclipsing the arc of blue rocketing toward him.

_I’ll do you proud Delsin._ Two sets of minds thought at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time; "Sunglasses are Forever!" - With Zeke Dunbar
> 
> So that sandwich thing - for those that are confused- is a teaching trick where you give positive reinforcement, followed by constructive criticism, and then finished off with more positive reinforcement. It's meant to keep spirits up and give an idea on what the student needs to work on, essentially sandwiching their mistake between two good points.
> 
> Just for those wondering.
> 
> Also, this chapter kinda kicked my ass. Who knew having to put yourself in the mindset of multiple people could be so exhausting.
> 
> Anyway. See ya.


	6. Sunglasses Are Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku reflects, Zeke explains his fashion choices, and the green-bean learns some control.

“Again!” Cole ordered, the tuning-fork hanging at his side, electricity still dancing over it.

Izuku really hated the Amp.

“ _*Groan*_ Yeah, I’m coming!” Izuku called from the metal cave that had been created due to him being, unceremoniously, flung across the clearing straight into a rather sturdy pile.

_That felt like it was going to kill me. Gonna run out if this keeps up, and it’s only been an hour._

Cole’s training sessions had only gotten worse – or better if you asked a certain Lightning man. After two months, Izuku had become pretty adept at avoiding Cole’s long-range electricity bolts, the former entering a state of hypervigilance as soon as he was able to see the trach container. Originally it had been restricted to the beach, however Cole changed that as soon as he had seen the shift during a training session.

Now nowhere was safe.

Izuku shuddered, the memory of being ambushed at the electronics shop the week prior, still fresh in his mind.

Shortly after that he had switched it up yet again. A broken rib and washing machine covered in his breakfast was all that was needed to let Izuku know he was getting too comfortable. The small kitchen appliances and shards of metal were replaced by stoves, car parts and whatever else was twice his size. The bolts of blue electricity, pre-electrified shards of scrap, and Cole’s trusty Amp breaking at least one bone a day were there to top it off.

Cole was really living up to the idea of tearing him down and letting _Regen_ put him back together. It was both amazing and somewhat nerve wracking that he was still here.

Amazing that Cole- that all of them- still believed he could do it. They were still willing to train him and give him the chance, even his mom had been more supportive. And then terrifying cause he wondered how much Cole was actually enjoying throwing him around, he was always here and ready to pounce by the time Izuku had arrived, and that was at _five_ every morning.

Izuku let out a tired sigh.

At least he was able to figure out his current limit before he got super charged when draining a source.

Large breaks and lacerations would take about six percent to ten percent of his store depending on the severity, a broken spine took up near double that- he made a note to get back padding for his costume if he gets in to UA. A broken arm or leg was roughly five percent and things like fingers were slightly less than that, though too varied to get an accurate read. Bruises, burns and minor cuts took barely anything- he refrained from mentioning that Cole didn’t provide the only data for that.

He still hadn’t told Kacchan. Not for lack of not wanting to, he simply didn’t have any proof.

Healing was near invisible- and he didn’t feel like breaking something in the middle of class- and besides that… he still couldn’t summon _Smoke_ on command. Sure, he could drain some smoke, but between the teasing in class and making sure he didn’t get in Kacchan’s way… it didn’t leave him with many opportunities, if any at all. He knew how to turn it off, but that didn’t help if you couldn’t turn it on.

Besides that, Cole’s training had been about improving his body and reflexes, the _Smoke_ control was supposed to come later. Izuku had been trying in private, but he couldn’t find the trigger. He imagined the power flowing out of him, covering his hands, he could feel the sensation… but it was never there when he looked. When he first absorbed some smoke, he felt warm. This sensation felt kind of cold – he was missing something. A reaction maybe, or some form of catalyst to activate it… maybe it was tied to his emo-

“Green; you coming or what?!” Cole’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

Izuku ripped his arm free of the dented scrap and crawled his way out, the small hole he had created shining bright into the darkness of his metal cave.

_Maybe that hit did kill me?_

His head popped out into the clearing, the months of garbage disposal now creating a small field within the mountains. Cole stood in the center, Amp securely on his back and looking as impatient as ever.

“What took so long? You low?”

“Getting there,” Izuku grumbled.

“Pardon?” Cole smirked.

“Just got lost in thought for a second, sorry.” Izuku scratched the back of his shaggy hair, flecks of metal falling loose.

_Maybe I do need a haircut._ He mused internally.

“You need to stay focused, remember.” His tone adopting one more akin to a teacher, his notes still tucked away in his bag. Not that Izuku needed to know that.

“I know, just remembering…”

“Remembering what exactly?” Cole leaned against a broken dishwasher, hands resting on the lid.

Izuku thought for a second, trying to find the right words.

“Everything I guess.” he shrugged.

“Everything?” Cole arched his eyebrow, “Meaning?”

“E-everything- all that we’ve done, everything you’ve taught me… the good and the scarring.” He subconsciously rubbed his chest, the main victim of Cole’s recent sneak attacks.

“You’re not having second thoughts-“

“Never!” Izuku blurted out before he looked to his shoes, bashfully. “It’s just… no one, besides all of you and recently my mom, has really believed in me or given me a chance. I’m still getting used to it, so I just lost myself… it’s amazing you’re still here is all.” Izuku could feel the heat on his cheeks.

* * *

A small chuckle reverberated off the metal walls, Cole looking at the kid in front of him, somewhere between amused and concerned.

“I ain’t going nowhere kid. I said I was going to train you, and I don’t say shit like that without meaning it.” Honestly Izuku had grown on Cole, he reminded him of Delsin in more than just his power.

The kid wanted nothing more than to help others. At first, he wasn’t sure if it was just out of guilt. Though as time went on, he got acquainted with green-haired teens _many_ notebooks, his determination… his dreams.

Hell, if he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn his friend had transferred over more than just his power. It was comforting; from one hot-headed hero who dreamed of nothing more than an equal world, to one who wanted nothing more than the chance to help others.

The determination to achieve their dream was nearly identical.

“I know, but it’s like I said: still getting used to it.” Izuku mumbled, slowly scratching his cheek.

Cole let out a slow breath, “I know kid.” Cole wasn’t nearly as good with reading people as Zeke, but even he could tell Izuku had been through the stigmas and treatments of being Quirkless. He just wished he knew how to deal with it. It’s not like anyone helped him. So, all he could do right now was be there every morning when he showed up. Show that he was still committed to the kid.

“Come on, we still have an hour before you have to leave.”

“Yeah, let’s go” that too-innocent smile returning to his face.

Cole walked back into the slowly decaying maze of garbage. “See you in a bit” he announced, not even trying to hide the feral grin forming on his face.

Izuku sweat dropped, “So much for a tender moment.”

He turned to the mountain behind him, scanning for something heavy to lift, eventually sighting a medium-sized fridge. He gripped the top edges, applying effort and gaining a satisfied feeling as it ripped free.

_He wasn’t kidding about the slowly enhancing strength-_

The mountain groaned, the shadow slowly engulfing Izuku’s form.

_Oh crap._

The machinery and appliances tumbled down, pain and a new set of clothes following in its wake.

_I’m so gonna need a refill after this._

His body was enclosed in metal yet again.

* * *

Inko sneezed.

_Why do I feel like I need to go clothes shopping again?_

She shook her head, deciding it was nothing- quietly returning to her errands.

“Now where was that UA application form?”

* * *

The workshop-door opened, Izuku looked up from his desk in the back corner, recognizing the iconic sunglasses and shirt that made up Zeke’s appearance on most days.

“Hi Zeke.” He waved from his chair.

Over the weeks he had been training he had started to stop by at the electronics shop in the afternoons. At first it was to keep up appearances, he may have convinced his mother that he wanted to be a hero and that he had a quirk, but he still had to play off that he was interested in computers- he was positive he’d be grounded for life if she knew why he initially went there for 5 hours, and who he was actually meeting after school.

Now, he came to see people who saw him as a friend- at least he hoped they did.

They never chased him away and Zeke was always happy to accommodate, even if Izuku had interrupted his _‘Leisure’_ reading a couple times- his face still burned red when he thought about it.

Regardless, the shop had become something of a safe space for Izuku, the desk in the back was always open for him when he stopped by; giving him space to either do homework, or catch up on the latest hero news and work on his notebook. It was also a little off his usual route from school, so no more run-ins with Kacchan.

_At least he’s ignoring me at school, better than the usual treatment- still don’t know why though._

“What up little-man?” Zeke asked, making his way over to the center bench.

“Just updating my notebook” Izuku returned his attention back to his newest entry, The Mist Hero: Vapor. An underground hero, his fight with a small-time gang got caught on tape the previous night and Izuku was happily dissecting it. “So, anything he touches turns to mist that he can control. Does it work on people? I didn’t see him use it on anyone, but that still doesn’t rule out the possibility. Has complete control over whatever he touches, can manipulate the shape, does it return to normal when he deactivates or-“ A small laugh broke his concentration, Zeke giving him an amused look.

“I swear, if you weren’t gonna be kicking villain ass one day, I would have recommended you become a hero analyst or even a teacher.” Zeke was dead serious, the way he dissected Coles quirk after just one lesson was pretty scary.

“T-thanks” he replied sheepishly. “I just r-really like new quirks.”

Zeke’s chuckle turned into a hearty laugh. “I know green-bean, pretty obvious” He shot Izuku a wide smile.

Izuku returned the laugh, pausing suddenly and gaining a quizzical look. “Zeke?”

Zeke calmed his amusement enough to respond. “What’s up little man?”

“What’s your quirk?”

Zeke simply pointed to his glasses, his smile never leaving.

“Your sunglasses?” Izuku was confused, his analyst abilities slipping through. “Can’t you take them off? Or when you do, does another pair replace it? Or are your eyes sensitive? Or maybe-”

“Woah, woah cool it” Zeke sweat-dropped, he regretted trying to be suave about the information. “My quirk is called ‘Sunglasses Are Forever’, the names kinda silly but I came up with it when I was a kid so…” he let out an embarrassed ‘hehe’ at the end.

“So, what does it do?” Izuku had a fresh page open and his pencil ready for action.

“Basically, whatever pair of sunglasses I’m wearing can’t be taken off by anyone but me, nor can they be destroyed while I’m wearing them.” He supplied, “And before you ask; no, I have not tested it myself… kind of found that out the hard way” He subconsciously rubbed the scar on his cheek. When he looked at Izuku’s notes, the kid had nearly filled page just from that alone!

“You really are something else, you know that.”

Izuku didn’t hear him, too absorbed in the possibilities of invincible eye-wear.

“Yeah that’s what I thought” Zeke sighed, turning to the disassembled computer that occupied the work station.

* * *

“Crap, not again.” Zeke cursed in English.

The computer he had been assembling was now sitting in front him, all parts back in place.

Or so he thought.

In his tray sat 3 loose screws, that he could have sworn were supposed to be part of the device he was working on.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his glasses shifting slightly, “Why does this always happen?” Now he was going to have to tear it apart until he found the missing points. “I swear this is the sixth time this month” he grumbled quietly.

“Hey Zeke?” Izuku called from his table, Zeke turned his head, letting his gaze fall over his shoulder.

“What’s up green-bean?” he questioned, placing down his tools. Zeke welcomed the distraction.

“How come you guys don’t speak English a lot?” Izuku asked now rubbing his chin. “I mean, I know we’re in Japan, but you are all American, yet I only hear you speaking Japanese.”

Zeke thought about it for a second. Eugene had brought it up once before, though he hadn’t really been paying much attention.

“Don’t know, we all agreed to only speak it so we could build our confidence with general conversation.” He mulled over his answer. “I guess eventually we just started doing it without realizing it, it just became… our normal?” That was all he could really come up with.

“So, it just happened through _practice_?” Izuku adopted a thinking pose.

“Pretty much” Zeke shrugged, honestly he barely noticed the changed- wasn’t like it was a bad thing.

“Practice” Izuku repeated.

Zeke raised his eyebrow, “Yeah… practice. Is everything alright?”

That seemed to snap Izuku out of his thoughts. “Hmm… yeah, I’m just thinking about something.”

Zeke arched his brow, leaning against the bench. “You want to talk about it?” Zeke always felt he was good at reading people; it was how he sized up his informants and potential targets they were scoping out- and right now he could tell something was majorly bugging the newest addition to their little group. Well… part-time addition, they kept the vigilante stuff to when he wasn’t around.

Izuku gained a down-cast look as he tried to piece his predicament in a way Zeke could understand. “I-it’s just…” His shoulders drooped slightly. “It’s my powers, I just can’t seem to draw it out. I know it’s there – I can feel it – yet I can’t bring it out.” To prove his point he tensed his arm, tugging at _Smoke_ , and not even receiving a wisp to prove his point. “No matter how much I try, no matter _what_ I try, I can’t hold on to it.”

Zeke hummed quietly.

Zeke knew how Izuku had been feeling, Cole had brought up the teen’s frustration with his lack of control more than once. The hours he’d evidently spend trying a host of methods; from meditating, tensing his muscles, or just screaming at a wall. Zeke had brainstormed possible ideas, going so far as to quiz Fetch and Eugene on how their powers worked. Zeke still didn’t have a solution; his quirk was passive – it just worked – so he had nothing to personally compare it to, and his teammates techniques differed drastically from each other. On top of that, he wasn’t sure he could compare Izuku’s powers to a normal quirk – all things considered.

“I… I got no clue little man.” Zeke sighed in frustration. “Your… circumstances are… _unique_. Every power is different to begin with, and Del’s powers were always weird.”

Izuku tilted his head, slightly leaning forward. “How were they _weird?_ ”

Zeke’s brain stuttered for a second. “Ah… well… it’s just the whole…” Zeke blinked hard, letting his brain reset. “…stockpile of powers.”

“Stockpile!?” Izuku’s eyes blew wide open.

Zeke’s face copied the green-haired teens. He needed to say something quick.

“I-I mean the regeneration, the boosted strength, and just the general smoke manipulation!” He quickly corrected himself, clearing his throat. “It’s just… Del was a power house, not that the others aren’t, he was just something else. I mean for one guy; he sure had a lot under his belt.”

“O-oh… right. Sorry for freaking out, thought you meant more than one quirk or a dual-quirk.” Izuku laughed awkwardly.

“N-no problem green-bean” Zeke was pretty sure he was sweating, not that Izuku noticed as he adopted his thinking pose once again.

“And yeah, from what I saw of the public videos and information, he was strong – insanely so.” Izuku bit his inner cheek. “I just wish I knew how _he_ did it.” Izuku raised his hand, staring at the bare skin.

Then it clicked for the sunglass’s expert, and he honestly felt really stupid. Izuku was measuring himself to Delsin. “Don’t do that.” Zeke quickly warned.

“Do what?” Izuku asked.

“Compare and copy.” He walked closer to Izuku, his hidden eyes hardening as the emotions of regret swirled within him. “You’re comparing your shortcomings, with a brand-new power, to a guy who had years to practice and master it. You’re wondering where you went wrong. You’re also trying to think of how he did it, how he drew on his abilities… take it from me; that rarely ever works.” Zeke’s voice dripped with the experience of past mistakes.

“But I made a promise,” Izuku quickly countered. “I made a promise to be a hero Delsin could be proud of, be the hero _he_ said I could be. Be the kind of hero _he_ was.”

“And that means you have to copy him?” Zeke asked rhetorically.

Izuku paused, quickly meeting his own reflection in Zeke’s glasses. “What do you mean?”

“You’re going through every route to try and find how to use this power right?” Izuku quickly nodded in response. “I’m guessing you’re also thinking, ‘How would Delsin do it?’, at the exact same time right?” He received another, thought more robotic, nod in response.

“You barely knew the guy, yet you’re trying to act exactly like him. You’re trying to be him.”

Izuku flinched hard. “I-I d-didn’t mean to a-assume-“ Zeke raised a hand to stop him before he continued.

“I’m not saying it’s rude or inappropriate. I’m saying you’re trying to use the motivation, the catalyst, of someone who was, for lack of a better word, a stranger.” Izuku wasn’t sure where Zeke was going with this, but he couldn’t help but agree with him.

He barely knew Delsin, they interacted for less than an hour, and here he was trying to emulate his methods. That he knew, he was just missing that final point.

“What I’m trying to say is you are looking in the wrong direction.” Izuku arched an eye brow. “Trying to be someone you don’t know isn’t gonna help you control _your_ power; you just have to accept that this isn’t you trying to use another persons’ ability. This is you calling and controlling what’s _yours_.”

Zeke’s gaze softened, “Don’t compare it, make it your own.”

Izuku felt like he had been slapped in the face and shown the face of truth. Quirks are apart of one’s self, trying to force yourself to act like or copy another is like going against your powers, and by extension your own nature. It may have been Delsin’s, but now it was within him- he just had to start acting like it was.

“You’ve called it out before, granted unintentionally, but that doesn’t change the fact.” Zeke poked his forehead. “So, what was going through your mind when it happened? What did _you_ feel?”

Izuku paused, calling back every memory of when he had released _Smoke_.

When he nearly broke down after telling them how Delsin had believed in him. When Cole had asked why he had wanted to be a hero. When he explained to his mom that he still wanted to help people. When he committed to breaking himself everyday so he could be stronger the next. When he let his dream to be a hero shine-

“My dream!” He nearly face-palmed. Every time he had called it out, he was thinking about his dream to become a hero – turning his dream into reality – and doing it no matter what. “Every time it happened, I was thinking of my dream to be a hero, to help others, and every time I missed it!” He could feel his quirk grow warm underneath his skin.

That was all the proof he needed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the quirk expert?” Zeke teased, not even bothering to hide the grin on his face.

Izuku didn’t even register it, he was busy staring at his hand, thinking of every moment he let his dream show – every time he let his determination to achieve shine through. He could feel the warmth expand, a strange yet familiar idea of opening a furnace, and letting it all billow out.

His hand was engulfed in black and green.

“Yes!” Izuku’s grin nearly split his face in half. He had it, he called it out on his own.

“There we go!” Zeke took a step back, the thoughts of his work now completely forgotten, he was solely focused on helping the newest Conduit.

Izuku let _Smoke_ dance around his hand, slowly allowing it to twirl up his arm, while simultaneously summoning it from his left hand and repeating the process. Within moments Izuku’s arms where a mix of emerald flakes and black swirls, it was honestly mesmerizing to the teen. The mix of colors and the feeling of power were leading him in again, though this time he was aware of it. He drew on it, letting more cover his torso, and feeling giddy at the warmth and strength that followed. This was his, and he was going to save people with it.

“Now then!” Zeke took a computer case, placing it on an empty bench before stepping back and striking a pose.

“Show me what you got!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: "Swords and Lasers" - With Eugene Sims and Abigail Walker.
> 
> So this took a lot longer than I thought it would, but hey it's here.
> 
> See Ya.


	7. Swords and Lasers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku hits a growth spurt, backup gets called in, and green-bean learns to 'curve the bullet'.

“Uhh…” Izuku’s thoughts screeched to a halt. “Show you what?” his face blanked.

Zeke sweat-dropped. “You know, your power.” He gestured to the hunk of metal. “Shoot it with your smoke!”

“How do I do that?!” Izuku wasn’t sure if he should be excited that he could shoot smoke, or confused as to how that was evidently in his arsenal.

“I, uh… have no clue.” Zeke’s shoulders dropped. “Kinda thought you would know”

“I just learnt to call it out!” Izuku countered.

“I-I just thought you might have had an idea.” Zeke laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“I just figured out how to summon it, and that was complicated enough as is.” He gestured to the make-shift target. “I doubt it’s gonna be as easy as just pointing and shooting.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to try.” Zeke mumbled.

“Where… how would I… How do we know _I_ can even do that?” Izuku tried to organize his thoughts, ok so Delsin could shoot _Smoke,_ but could he? Did _all_ his abilities carry over?

Sure, Izuku did have _Regen_ , and _Drain_ worked the same-

…

Izuku shutdown his doubt, letting out a calming breath. “Y-yeah, I suppose it couldn’t hurt.”

_I can’t learn if I don’t try. No mumbling spree – analyze, then take action._

He got out of his chair, walking to the center of the room. “So, I just point my hand?”

Zeke straightened up. “Yeah, that’s what Delsin did I mean. Whenever he was shooting, the smoke focused around his palm, so maybe try transferring it there?” he suggested, taking a few cautious steps back.

“I thought this was about me using it my own way!” Izuku yelped out.

“It is! But that seems like a pretty obvious way to shoot.” Izuku couldn’t deny that logic, heroes like Crust and Endeavor did use there hands as guiding points for their attacks, even Fetch and Cole did it that way.

“Alright.” He leveled his hand at the target. “Here we go.” He let smoke leak out, allowing it to pool in his palm. Izuku figured if he gathered the heat he always felt, he could let it out in one, concentrated, shot.

He imagined opening the furnace, letting the heat and smoke billow out. Though, instead of simply letting it hover in the air, he syphoned it, bringing the cloud together.

“And now…” He brought his fingers closer, tightening the area that would be hit. He took one final breath. “…release-“

The service bell rang, causing Zeke to jump, and Izuku to lose concentration, the ball of smoke blasting out across the workshop floor, sending Zeke and the nearby tables flying. Computer parts, as well as the previously semi-completed tower now lying in pieces, and Zeke nursing a bruise on his head as he propped himself up against the wall.

“Ow” he croaked out.

Izuku stared at the carnage, feeling amazed at the power in one shot and horrified at what he had done. “I-I-I’m so S-sorry!” He yelled out at the bewildered Zeke.

“Uhhh” Zeke looked at what was left of the backroom.

…

“What the hell was that!?” A pissed off looking Fetch shouted from the top of the stair-well, her fingers starting to glow magenta. She paused as she took in the scene.

…

“Why did I even get up?” She face-palmed, “I’m going back to bed.” she mumbled, turning around and heading back into the basement.

“Is everything alright back there?!” A voice came from the other side of the front door.

Zeke shook himself back to reality, “Yes! Sorry, some parts just fell, I’ll be right with you!” He called out, quickly turning back to Izuku.

“Green-bean” Izuku’s dumb-founded spun around. “I need you to stall while I make sure I still have feeling in my legs.”

“I-I’m sorry… wait stall!” Izuku was starting to freak out even more. “S-stall, me stall!?”

“Dude, I don’t have time to argue, go!” Zeke groaned out, slowly starting to move.

“O-ok!” Izuku gulped, reluctantly moving to the door. He slid through, so as to shield the customer from the mess, rapid-firing apologies as he did so.

Zeke let his head drop to his chest.

“Note to self, teach the kid people skills next.” Zeke sighed to himself. He heard faint stuttering coming from the direction of the store-front, a feminine voice following suit.

“And maybe teach him how to speak to the opposite gender.” He sweat-dropped.

* * *

_*Clang! *_

The sound rang throughout the ever-shrinking garbage field as another scrap target was blown backwards, smoke hovering over the impact point.

“Yes!” Izuku fisted the air. “Ten for ten.” He grinned.

It had been a month since Izuku had first drawn out _Smoke_ of his own will, and a month since he had blown away half the workshop. Ever since then he had been pushing harder, now focusing not only on his strength and speed training, but also his quirk. After the initial failure he had waited until he was in the safety of his training ground before trying again, though showing his mom and the rest of the Conduits his control was done before supper.

It took a few tries before he was able to get an accurate shot, but now, he could safely hit eight out of ten shots on average.

Izuku was starting to feel good, his progress so far had been leagues beyond what he thought he could achieve- yet here he was – and he owed it all to his friends. Cole and Zeke had pushed him further than he knew he could go; the latter’s attempts at getting him to talk to people at the shop included. He could manage a conversation with only a little stuttering, with guys anyway.

“Not bad.” Cole praised from his perch, currently sitting on the hood of a broken car.

“T-thanks.” Izuku blushed.

Cole chuckled, “It still amazes me how you get so embarrassed when someone gives you a compliment.” Cole teased.

“S-sorry, it’s just-“

“I know kid, still it’s been three months, you have to get used to it at some point – you’re only gonna get better.” Cole commented. “Speaking of which, how’s your smoke capacity doing?”

Izuku pulled out his notebook, turning to his own page.

“That has to be a quirk, or is he just good at hiding it? Maybe he can use that for his weapons?” Cole muttered before pausing, realizing what he was doing. “Oh God, it’s spreading.”

“So far…” Izuku began, breaking Cole out of his mild-panic attack. “… my stats for _Regen_ are still the same, and _Smoke Shot_ takes about two percent a shot. From testing it’s safe to say I could put a sizeable dent in a car door, if I get a direct hit.”

“And how often is that?”

“When I’m concentrating, at least eight out of ten shots.” Izuku answered, scanning his notes.

“And when you’re moving?” Cole stood up. “What about when the targets moving, or there are civilians in the way, or when you are both moving?” Cole pointed out, Izuku flinching as he did.

Chuckling nervously, Izuku rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish look on his face. “I still have a long way to go.” He internally berated himself for getting excited so quickly.

“Yeah you do.” Cole said matter-of-factly. “However, you aren’t doing bad, especially for someone who just got their power.”

“T-thanks.” Izuku smiled at him, still internally making a note to keep pushing harder.

“No sweat kid. Though now we are gonna have to call in back up.” Cole declared as he strode towards the edge of the beach, rays of morning light breaking through the metal and hitting the sand. “Tomorrow you’ll be training with Eugene, I’ll see about getting Fetch as well but no promises. Though Eugene would be good enough as is.”

_Eugene? What does he have that Cole doesn’t?_ Izuku adopted a thinking pose, mulling over Cole’s words.

Izuku snapped his fingers as the lightbulb went off. “Oh, that’s perfect! Eugene can summon his angels and demons for target practice and to stand-in for civilians, and Fetch can use her _Light-speed_ to act like a high-speed target!” Izuku explained Cole’s stroke of genius, growing more excited as he did.

Cole smiled fondly. “Your analysis is gonna be terrifying when you have the skills to back it up, you know that right?”

Izuku was too deep in thought to hear him.

“At least he’s not mumbling out loud anymore.” Cole sighed, trying to find the silver lining.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Izuku unlocked the front door to his family’s apartment, the smell of his mother’s cooking immediately filling his nose. He breathed in deep, letting the aromas wake up his taste buds and calm his nerves.

Home was always a safe space, ever since he was four this was his haven. Even now with Cole’s shop acting as an outpost, his home would always relax him in a way that he could have sworn was a quirk. More so now than ever thanks to the support he was receiving from his mother due to his development of a quirk. He was pretty sure the fact that he could regenerate at unimaginable speeds did the world of good for her nerves.

Putting his slippers on he called out to his mother to let her know he was home, receiving a hello in confirmation. He made his way to his room, depositing his bag next to his desk and changing into evening clothes. As he slipped on his shirt over his torso, he felt the tightness around his chest, the shirt restricting his movements. He looked down to see the front straining and the bottom barely reaching below his navel, he quickly wondered if they had shrunk in the wash.

_Is that why my school clothes are feeling smaller?_

Deciding to ask he made his way to the kitchen, realizing his pants were giving him the same issue.

_Was it the entire load?_

“Hey, mom!” He called as he stepped into the kitchen, his mother turning to him and nearly dropping the knife she was holding. Izuku, noticing her reaction, asked the obvious question. “D-did my clothes shrink in the wash?” He asked cautiously

Inko robotically shook her head, positive they didn’t, but even she couldn’t deny that it looked like her son was about to burst out of his outfit. Then she looked at the door-frame, then back to Izuku, then back to the door-frame, coming to the only possible answer as she did so.

“Izuku, please stand by the door.”

Izuku gave her a questioning look before complying, his broad shoulders and height taking up most of the entrance.

The second light bulb of the day went off. “Oh. Guess that intense training is really kicking in. The tearing down and near perfect healing with _Regen_ must also be boosting the results.” Izuku theorized as he gripped his chin, his biceps bulging as he did so.

_How did I not notice this? Have I really been that focused on my training?_

Izuku looked back to his mother, a gleeful grin near splitting her face.

“Mom?” Izuku asked worriedly.

Inko’s gaze bored into his soul, her excited yelling being heard for nearly a kilometer. “ **WE CAN GO CLOTHES SHOPPING!** ”

Izuku’s heart nearly sank, thoughts of his favorite ‘ _Pants_ ’ shirt being thrown into the sell bin nearly bringing him to tears.

He looked down to his chest.

“I will never forget you.” He whispered quietly to the strained material.

His mother didn’t notice, too occupied with planning out clothes stores to visit that weekend.

“Is this what people feel like when I do that?” Izuku asked nobody in particular.

* * *

Eugene was a naturally a quiet guy, typically preferring to play his RPG game than to socialize with customers, or anyone for that matter. With that in mind Izuku couldn’t help but feel bad when he saw Eugene’s fidgeting form, hidden away amongst the scrap piles. From what Izuku could tell; the only time he ever left the shop was when he went out on missions or got given the short straw on getting food, and even then, he sent an angel in his place. Izuku still remembered walking past the hulking angelic form on his way to school one morning, a packet of groceries secured firmly in one hand as it exited the stunned shop.

Guess even with quirks, seeing a bonified angel was still somewhat jarring.

“Hey, Eugene.” Izuku called as he stepped onto the sandy shore, being careful not to startle the hooded-angel user.

“Hey.” Eugene waved his hand from behind the metal heap.

Izuku stopped just short of the column, “Thanks for agreeing to help me, you really didn’t have to.” Izuku commented, scratching his cheek.

“Don’t worry about, I don’t really like going out but thankfully this place is pretty secluded.” He refrained from mentioning that Cole threatened to fry his PC next time he was in-game. It’s not that he didn’t want to help, he actually liked Izuku, while Eugene had his games, Izuku had his heroes. He just didn’t like the people that came with being outside. Even if they were pretty secluded, one mistake and somebody could recognize him. But he agreed and he had a job to do.

“So… where do you want to start?” Eugene asked, slowly slipping further into trash piles, eventually finding Izuku’s official training field.

Izuku cupped his chin, going through what he needed to address.

_I’m pretty accurate on stationary targets that are in the open, so maybe start with accuracy amongst bystanders to boost my confidence further, then move to mobile targets and take it from there._

Finishing with making up his mind, Izuku laid out his plan. Eugene nodded in understanding, quickly letting off pixels of light, 6 angels and a demon forming from it.

Izuku stared in awe, even though he had seen it a couple times before, the sheer power and versatility of Eugene’s quirk boggled his mind. The man essentially walked around with an Angelic/Demonic army at all times, the volume of good he could do if he was a pro-hero was limitless.

“Midoriya!” Eugene grabbed his attention. “You ok?”

Izuku shook himself back to focus, bushing slightly. “Yeah, sorry, your quirk is just so cool. Making angels and demons out of video pixels is awesome!” he couldn’t help the giddy smile that formed from the idea of training of with said beings of light.

“Y-yeah they’re pretty cool.” Eugene cleared his throat. “Anyway, let’s get started.”

“Right!” Izuku pumped a fist, getting ready for the training session.

* * *

“You missed.” Eugene nonchalantly stated, Izuku’s shot smacking into the Angel-civilian standing next to his target. Eugene not even bothering to look up from his laptop.

Izuku groaned in frustration, “I know.”

Thirty shots, nine misses, and thirteen civilians hit – not his best day.

Izuku let his head drop, going over the situation in his mind. After he hit the first four shots without problem, landing either the head or whatever portion of torso was exposed, he decided to up the challenge. Now while the target was stationery the ‘civilians’ around it were constantly moving, Eugene making them simulate how actual people would act if they were caught in the middle of a villain attack. Sufficed to say the challenge became infinitely more difficult.

Izuku just couldn’t track the all the civilians, as well as concentrate on nailing the shot, resulting in more than a few angels receiving a face or chest full of smoke. He landed a few shots since then, but it was never consistent.

“You’re going about it wrong.” Eugene called from his seat in the back of a broken car, it still amazed Izuku that vehicles somehow ended up here.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re concentrating too much on the target and not enough on the people around the target.” Eugene shrugged as if it should have been obvious. He must have seen the confusion plastered on Izuku’s face, as he jumped down and moved to where the teen was standing – making sure to keep a few paces between them.

“You only wait ‘til the direct path is clear and then fire, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“But what if he dodges and you hit someone behind him, or someone moves in front of you at the last second. There are dozens of variables you’re not considering, and that’s on top of waiting for a path to open in the first place.” Eugene raised his hand, pixels of light engulfing it while the angels carried out the scenario again.

It only took a moment before a sword of light shot from Eugene’s hands, what Izuku saw left him speechless. The sword weaved through the crowd, barely missing the pixel-creations but not by luck. It took less than a few moments before the blade found its target.

Izuku blinked in disbelief, if he didn’t know Eugene better, he could have sworn he made his angel’s dodge for him.

“How did you do that?!” Izuku exclaimed in bewilderment.

“I made it hit.” The way he said it left Izuku both intimidated and even more confused.

“What do you mean, you made it hit?”

“I control video, I manipulate and shape it how I want. I said before there are tons of variables and possibilities, to be honest there’s too many. So, I remove them from the equation entirely.” Izuku couldn’t help but stare in awe at how cool the video-user was, Eugene hid the small smirk behind his hood.

“Wait, so how do you remove them.” Izuku whipped out his notebook.

Eugene put aside that he was beginning to believe Cole’s theory about Izuku summoning notebooks as his secret quirk, instead explaining his method. “You can’t account for every person’s movements, but you can for your own. In that situation, the only thing that matters is taking down the bad guy, so I only need to focus on my shot. Granted every situation is different, sometimes civilians need to be prioritized, but the principal applies.” Eugene couldn’t tell if the smoke was coming from Izuku or the notebook.

“To put it simply, I control the projectile, not the people. I manipulate its trajectory to ensure no one is hit unnecessarily. The same thing can be done with your smoke, you control it as it shifts over your body, so why not when it’s separated. It’s smoke _manipulation_ for a reason.”

“That’s amazing, you not only raise your chances to almost guaranteed, but minimalize chances of collateral.” The idea of it was astounding, every shot would be a hit, regardless if there were hostages or people in the way.

“Wait,” Izuku paused, lowering his notebook. “What if you have to fire off multiple shots? Do you still control all of them?”

Eugene nodded. “It’s a lot more challenging, but doable, you just need practice. I’d say once you can guide a single shot without much effort, push for more.” He suggested.

“So cool.” Izuku muttered. Eugene let a small smile grace his face. While Izuku was quite a bit taller, and a lot more muscular than when he first showed up at the shop, he was still that same quirk-geek. He was someone Eugene would probably have been friends with when he was growing up, but those days were long gone – the bullies left with them.

Eugene shook his head, dispelling old memories, taking a few steps back he summoned an angel and demon, placing one slightly ahead of the other. The right arm of the demon in the back barely visible.

Eugene gestured towards the red-being, “Curve the bullet.”

* * *

Fetch didn’t know why she agreed to this as the morning rays warmed her skin, the light reflecting off the water causing her to squint. She should be in bed reading or tagging some warehouse, not training a kid at five in the morning. She didn’t hate Green, far from it, he was kind, his view of what a hero should be was pure to the core, and honestly D would have loved him. But that was just it. Every time she saw him, every time she saw him use _his_ power… she never liked feeling sad.

She pulled her jacket tighter, letting the warmth envelope her. A coping mechanism she developed when she still lived in Seattle, when she was still with her brother, he would always lend it to her when she got cold or went to sleep. 

A yell caught her attention, the sound reverberating off the metal. Letting _Neon_ infuse with her body, she rocketed off the pavement, sand kicking up as she sped through piles of scrap. She became a blue of magenta, her form distorted into pure energy as she used her _Light-speed_ to cover the distance in seconds.

As she traversed the maze, she couldn’t help but notice the neat piles of garbage and the clear pathway that had been formed over the past 3 months.

“He really has been working hard hasn’t he.” Fetch said to herself.

Racing past another heap she came into a clearing, and promptly had to dive to the side as a smoke shot came flying at her. It missed her by inches, smacking into a fridge behind her and denting the door.

Fetch glared daggers at the green-haired teen. “What the hell!” She yelled from her prone position.

“S-s-sorry! I-I wasn’t trying t-to hit you, I swear!” Izuku bowed low, spouting a string of apologies.

Fetch huffed, standing up and shaking the sand off of her. “Well you sure as hell missed whatever you _were_ trying to shoot.” She growled at him.

Izuku looked sheepishly at the Angel and Demon standing besides him, the Angel simply shaking its head in disapproval while the Demon openly laughed. Izuku looked over Eugene, raising an eyebrow, sending an unspoken question if he was controlling his creations’ outbursts. Eugene simply shrugged.

Izuku’s shoulders sagged, “Great, even pixels are laughing at me now.”

Eugene gave a pointed glare at his creations; the angel straightened its posture under it’s master’s gaze. The demon simply clamped its mouth shut.

Fetch looked over the setup, drawing up the path of Izuku’s shot at her and his actual target. The conclusion she got concerned her. “So, did you slip or something, or is your actual quirk ‘Can’t Aim for Shit’?”

“I’m not that bad.” Izuku mumbled out, running his hand through his hair. It was barely loud enough that only Eugene heard it.

“I’m teaching him to do a control shot.” Eugene quickly cleared up the confusion.

The pieces clicked together, though the direction of the shot was still laughable. “Well it didn’t hit the civvie, at least.” She grimaced, ‘ _It just went in the opposite direction of where it was supposed to_ ’, she internalized.

“I can get it to turn, but it’s the bringing it back around part where I lose it. It’s like I’m restricted to one move at that’s it.” The green-teen groaned. It had been over two hours and after his initial success as altering its path, he had hit a rut. He used the image of deflecting the shot off of different panels, like one of those old pre-quirk games… but he was never fast enough to get into the next position. He couldn’t get control of it again.

“What do you mean; one move?” Fetch asked.

“Well I adjust its trajectory, but I can’t get ahold of it again to bring it back, so half the time it flies off – as you s-saw.” Izuku blushed in embarrassment.

“You let go?” Fetch asked, genuinely confused.

“Well yeah, I use the idea of deflecting it from one point to another, but I’m always to slow-“ Izuku face-palmed. “Or I could just not let go and not have to worry about catching it, therefore eliminating the problem of being too slow. How am I this bad with my own quirk?” He complained. First Zeke, then Eugene and now Fetch; at this point he was wondering if his _mother_ had anything to offer.

“Well to be fair, you’ve gone through your whole life dissecting other people’s quirks. You’re probably just not used to thinking about how to improve yourself.” Eugene reasoned. He knew that pit, once you fell in, all you did was stare at the people above. Fetch noticed the shift in Eugene’s posture, she decided to change the subject for both their sakes.

“You guys gonna keep talking, or are you gonna actually do something about it, Green.” Fetch voiced impatiently.

Izuku repositioned himself, he let _Smoke_ engulf his hand and took aim. This time he imagined a funnel, a funnel leading from his hand and taking his desired path to his target.

_Don’t let go… imagine the path._

He breathed out and let the shot fly. It carried on straight for a few moments, the angel raising a shield in preparation. Izuku never let the image escape him, the funnel that swung around the video-angel and carried onto the demon.

Less than a metre away from the angelic-knight, the shot swung right and kept swinging, creating an arc of black and green before straightening out and slamming into demon. The being of chaos evaporating into pixels.

Izuku grinned victoriously. He may also have indulged in the satisfaction of seeing the mocking-demon receive a face full of smoke.

“Yes!” he pumped his fist in the air, allowing himself a brief celebration before readying for another shot. “Let’s go again Eugene.”

Eugene nodded, summoning another demon and rolling through the simulation a few more times.

Once satisfied he resummoned a dozen or so angels, recreating their initial exercise. Izuku took aim, capturing the situation and positions of the angels in his mind and instantly creating a path. Smoke pooled in his hand before being released, snaking through the crowd before smacking into a red chest. Not waiting another moment, two more shots were let loose, both finding their destination without any interruption.

“So much for practicing first.” Eugene looked on in awe

Fetch ripped her head from the dissolving form of the demon, turning her gaze to the teen in front of her. She made the conclusion there that the kid was going to be _dangerous_ once her mastered D’s power. All it took was a suggestion and he adapted to it, more than that he improved upon it; controlling two projectiles almost immediately. It took her weeks before she could do a single control shot, it took Eugene nearly double that to simply angle his swords in the right direction.

He really did remind her of D.

She bit back the emotions of loss andbitterness, opting to focus on doing what she came here to do. “Alright then.” She grabbed Izuku’s attention. “Control shots work well for crowds, but in open battles it takes up too much mental space and you lose focus on what’s around you, so, save them for when they’re needed.” Izuku’s face turned serious, nodding as he wrote down her suggestion-

She blinked rapidly at the sudden appearance of the piece of paper and pencil. “It has to be a quirk.” Cole’s theories were starting to bear fruit.

“I know right!” Eugene exclaimed, his expression of awe turning to that of confusion.

“What’s wrong?” Izuku asked, his hands now empty.

“What the fuck?” Fetch was pretty sure her eye was twitching.

“Is something wrong?” Izuku tilted his head, his puppy dog eyes and muscular frame contrasting in a way that Fetch wasn’t sure she knew how to deal with.

“Yeah I’m going home.” Fetch turned around, trudging her way back to the street. Izuku did his best to hide the pang of rejection.

…

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning!” She called back as she rounded the corner. Izuku’s mood immediately brightening, a pleased smile forming.

Eugene looked at the retreating head of pink-purple hair, “Huh.” He nodded his head in approval,

“What’s wrong?”

Eugene regarded Izuku for a few moments, trying to find the right words to explain his friend’s actions.

“You impressed her.” He finally said, quickly covering his eyes as Izuku’s grin lit up the training area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: "With Anger, Comes Pain." With Cole MacGrath
> 
> (Mistake on my part, the original Preview Title I typed down is two chapters away. So for those who see this change, I apologize.)
> 
> And done, this was a lot longer than my others. Have a feeling chapters may start to get longer as this goes on, but I'll have see.
> 
> As for the whole curve the bullet thing, I kept thinking when I played inFamous, "He can manipulate smoke, but he can't make it follow a set path or control it after he shoots it?" So I wanted to incorporate it here as it I can think of a dozen situations where I can put it into play.
> 
> Also we get some time with Angel-Boy and a helping hand from the resident tagger. I feel like Izuku and Eugene can work really well with each other considering their obsession over their passions and how both of them have been the subject of bullying, so expect that friendship to grow as this all progresses.
> 
> Fetch still has a lot of emotions to deal with before their relationship gets to a healthy level, so there will be growth, but it's trauma so it will be slow as well.
> 
> Few more chapters and we hit entrance exam and I am really excited for that!
> 
> See Ya


	8. With Anger, Comes Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole and Izuku have an interesting confrontation.

_Awareness_.

One of the first things Cole taught Izuku. To him, it was one of the most important aspects of fighting someone should master. You could say strength and speed, or martial-arts knowledge came first; but to Cole they fell underneath awareness. You could be strong and physically fast, sure, but if your opponent gets the drop on you because you didn’t check your corners, or you weren’t quick enough to respond… well, how useful were they then.

To him, above everything; your mind had to be as quick as your feet. For him, you fought with your head first and your fists second. That’s what kept you alive.

He had drilled this point into Izuku over the past five months. Every broken bone and drop of blood had been there as testament to it. And over those six months, he had come to realize Izuku was already hardwired for it. His analysis and ability to find a way out of a situation was beyond good, it was _scary_. It took him less than a month to become adept at figuring out where Cole was coming from within the scrap piles, so he changed it up to entire beach front.

That took less than a week.

Then the shop and surrounding area.

That took a few days.

Every time was faster than the last. Every time Cole was left wondering how a _teenager_ was able to predict him. The kid had even figured out how to control his powers in between all of the surprise ambushes and tests. Months before Cole had planned to start combat training.

It was then Cole truly realized why the learning gap had been shrinking, why it was getting easier and easier for the green-haired kid. Beyond studying the areas, he had been _studying_ _Cole_. His preferred methods of attack, where he was likely to hide, any initial sounds before engaging; hell, even when he was most likely to be _sleeping_ – finding that point in Izuku’s notebook had left him feeling slightly violated. His natural skill to adapt would have made him a tough opponent, slap the detailed analysis on top of that, and his rapidly growing control of his abilities… Cole would never admit it, but even he wouldn’t take that fight.

But that didn’t mean he was out of ideas or lessons to teach, just cause Izuku was progressing faster than he thought possible didn’t mean the green-bean had nothing left to learn. It was at that moment where he wondered if Zeke was right. That he really was getting a kick out of finding new and inventive ways to ~~terrorize~~ teach Izuku.

_Am I going overboard with this?_

He gripped his chin in thought, the cool breeze that swept across the roof top nipping at his exposed fingers. He looked over at the gate of Aldera middle-school. The trees that decorated the front swayed in the wind, the rustling adding a pleasant white-noise as he thought over his actions.

The school bell rang, signifying the end of Izuku’s safety and the beginning of Cole’s plan. He stood up, cracking his knuckles and enjoying the pleasant pops and clicks as he stretched his bones and muscles. He watched his unofficial student exit the front doors. After the first two months Izuku had hit a growth spurt that could only be identified as a miracle, plateauing after another two – for now anyway. Izuku stood just taller than six feet, and had developed a slim but sturdy build that made you think he had been training for years rather than months.

Cole smiled, amused at the one constant that no amount of training could change about the smoke-user. Izuku’s notebook sat open in his hand, the other busy scribbling down new ideas or observations.

Cole thought back to Zeke’s point, a sly grin forming. “Nah.” 

He leapt to the adjacent building, keeping low as he stalked Izuku on his daily trip. The street was relatively empty, a few stray cars and walkers here and there, but nothing for Cole to concerned about. Thankfully Izuku always walked alone.

That thought left a bitter taste in Cole’s mouth. Izuku rarely ever spoke of his normal life, other than small mentions about his mother, nothing else was said. However, the knowledge that Izuku used to be quirkless helped fill in the gaps. He never spoke of it because there was nothing talk about.

Nothing good anyway.

It took only a few minutes before Cole saw his opportunity, putting aside his thoughts he hid behind a large dumpster. Izuku was about to turn down a back-path that he usually took on his daily walk. He charged up his Amp, preparing himself to jump his target. Izuku entered the entrance to the alley a moment later, notebook nowhere to be seen. A few more steps and he would be shielded from view.

Cole’s mind was drawn to Izuku’s prior quiirklessness and its implications. Until he met them the only outside interactions, he would have had would either be dismissal, or disgust. And here he was, one of the first positive figures in his life, about to jump him – a teenager – in a back alley on his way from school.

Cole clicked his tongue, his grip on his weapon loosening slightly. _OK maybe I am going overboard._

He watched as a head of green hair came into view, a content smile on his face as he made his way to one of his safe havens. Cole considered his actions for a second before tightening his grip on the handle. He’s doing this for Izuku, and no way in hell is he sending him out there without being prepared for any situation. A smaller part of him knew this is what Izuku wanted, to be pushed to his limit. To be given the chance that was often robbed of you when you rolled zero on the genetic lottery.

_I don’t do this to hurt him._ _I do this because I believe in him._

* * *

Izuku had been having a pretty good day so far.

He managed to get the drop on _Cole_ for once during the morning training, his clearing of the beach had just reached over half of the coastline– at this rate he would be finished a month before the entrance exam – and he was making great headway with his _Smoke_ control. Granted he still didn’t know how to turn into smoke like during his first… _visit_ to the shop, but he was working towards finding out.

Even school had been relatively calm, Kachh- Bakugo, was still ignoring him but after five months and the alternative being less than pleasant, Izuku welcomed it. Even the teachers seemed to be giving him a break, though he was pretty sure that was mostly due to his rather significant growth spurt that left him taller than most of his peers.

All in all, a good day.

But that luck could only hold up for so long.

He was a few steps away from entering the alley when the hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end, a familiar shiver climbing up his spine. The kind that was usually followed by a lesson. Defaulting to his instincts, he side-stepped to his left, leaving his right leg out for Cole.

Or at least, he thought it was Cole.

But when his eyes made contact with whoever had tried to come up behind him; there was no yellow jacket, metal stick of pain, or near-bald head. There were only a pair of wings.

Tsubasa fumbled to keep himself upright, his red wings flapping wildly, trying desperately to prevent him from face planting into the pavement. A pair of elongated, spaghetti like fingers wrapped around his arms, pulling the demon-winged boy upright.

The larger boy swung around, a face of pure hatred and disgust was directed straight towards Izuku. “You pathetic, Deku!” His growl would have sent a shiver up Izuku’s spine and forced him into a spree of apologies months ago, now it barely brought out a few goosebumps.

_Huh, guess shooting actual demons, and dealing with Cole must be scarier. Or maybe it’s the height difference?_

“The hells your problem, _Deku_!?” The other boy, Yubi, snarked from Tsubasa’s side.

“S-sorry, just heard someone walking up behind me and I moved over.” He let out an embarrassed laugh, he wasn’t going to tell them he was getting ready to dodge a bone-breaking attack from a vigilante.

“So what, you trip everyone you let pass you!” Izuku wasn’t sure if that was a genuine question or if the winged-boy was being rhetorical.

“No, do you try and bash into everyone walking in front of you?” The words flew out of his mouth before he could think about it, sarcasm dripping from every letter.

Both boys standing opposite to the green-haired teen blinked rapidly, still processing the fact that Izuku ‘ _Deku’_ Midoriya, just spoke back to them. The guy that used cower before them, the guy that not even the teachers cared about, the _Quirkless freak_ , was now looking down on them and had the _gall_ to talk back to them!

Izuku watched as Tsubasa’s face went redder than his wings. “What did you just say to me Deku!” Tsubasa seethed, his wings began flapping rapidly, clearly prepping to launch himself with Yubi’s fingers elongating in response.

“It was just an observation. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Ok that was a horrible lie if he considered his earlier tone, but he really wasn’t looking to create a confrontation, especially considering he was faintly aware of another presence hidden within the alley.

_Please don’t be another sludge villain._

Tsubasa and Yubis’ eyes shone with sadistic glee, oblivious to the figure moving in the shadow. “I don’t want to fight.” Izuku was surprised at the calmness in his voice, like he wasn’t about to have to deal with _two_ of his biggest bullies since childhood, and whatever came slinking out of the darkness.

“Who said you were gonna be able to do anything, you Quirkless loser.” Yubi chuckled, his fingers now longer than his forearm.

Something inside Izuku twinged at those words.

‘ _Quirkless loser’_

He had heard that saying more times than he cared to count; from ‘friends’, teachers, even kids whose quirks did nothing more than make their hair glow, or eyes change colour. And every time he could feel that familiar fire build, the desire to show he wasn’t _useless_ and prove himself worthy of being a hero.

Except now.

Something inside of rejected the thought of showing them his power in the most satisfying way possible. Even with them on the verge of attacking him and possible a villain in the alley next to them, he felt no desire to raise his fists out of spite. No desire to hurt them like they did to him for _years_. He just didn’t want _that_.

_And what is **that**?_ The thought nearly pushed him down a rather deep rabbit hole.

Izuku was shook out of his confusion as Tsubasa’s growl finally reached his ears. He moved his left hand behind his back, letting a small amount of _Smoke_ pool in his palm, he didn’t want to fight but they weren’t giving him much choice. And he doubted whoever or whatever else was there was gonna play nice if the murderous aura he was now feeling was anything to go by.

* * *

Tsubasa moved forward, his wings splayed out behind him, ready to wale on the teen in front of him. Deku tensed, his body slightly lowering, “This is not the time, please I don’t want to fight.” Tsubasa ignored Deku’s pleas for escape, he was going to teach him where he belonged. Just like Bakugo had done for years before growing tired of the Quirkless freak. Tsubasa raised his wings, tensing them as he prepared to launch himself.

“Is there a problem here!” A gruff voiced called from deeper into the alley.

Tsubasa and Yubi stopped in their tracks, eyeing the silhouette of the strange man. “None of your business, get lost old man!” Tsubasa barked out, quickly dismissing whoever had interrupted them, instead focusing on the _freak_ in front of him.

The figure let out an annoyed huff.

“First off: I’m not even forty.” Tsubasa felt the hairs on his arm stand up, the faint sound of crackling echoing off the walls. “Secondly: it looks like my business, cause as it stands, you two are using your quirks, illegally I might add.” His voice grew harsher and his figure more imposing, this was only furthered strengthened as he let a small amount of what looked like electricity dance around his irises, the neon-blue glow and intimidating shape creating a harrowing image.

Yubi was the first to falter, a small amount of sweat building on his forehead as he weighed his options. “H-hey Tsubasa, m-maybe we should j-just g-go.” The previously cocky and condescending attitude now replaced by hesitance and fear. “I-I mean w-we just l-left Bak-“

“Shut it!” Tsubasa cut him off.

Tsubasa looked back to the strange man. “This freak is Quirkless, he’s not worth the trouble!” He smirked as the electricity in the mans eyes fizzled out. No one cared about the Quirkless, as far as he was concerned; they were a mistake. That’s what his grandfather had always told him, that’s what he had always seen. They were an error in the cycle of evolution. Freaks that couldn’t keep up with the rest; weaker and slower in every way.

His joy was quickly wiped away as the silhouettes whole body was engulfed in lightening, stray arcs hitting the metal bins and illuminating the entire alley in a deadly blue. Tsubasa felt his body freeze as he took in the display of strength, his mind screeching to halt at the knowledge that someone so powerful was about to defend a quirkless loser.

“And that’s supposed to change what exactly?”

* * *

Izuku stared in awe at his mentor, watching as his power electrified everything around him as he held an expression of barely contained rage. Turning the air itself hostile to anyone who’d dare approach him.

_So, this is what it looks like when you get angry._ A smaller part of him was elated that it wasn’t a villain bearing down on them.

At the same time as he watched the impressive display of power, a large part of him was growing more and more concerned that Cole was about to fry the two boys standing in front of him. His lightening was growing more sporadic and his posture was becoming more aggressive. Deciding to spare the two bullies from Cole’s wrath, Izuku put himself in between the three, hoping to deescalate the situation. Unfortunately, he never got the chance.

“The hell are you extras doing?!” A cranky voice broke through the tension, all eyes snapping to the direction from where it came.

Izuku saw in his peripheral vision that Cole’s lightning quickly shut off, only a light crackle from the metal objects filling the void.

An angry blonde stepped into the entrance of the alley, a scowl gracing his face, and holding a glare that _actually_ sent a shiver up Izuku’s spine.

“And who the hell are you talking to?” Bakugo turned to look down the alley, he locked eyes with Cole. The electric-user sized-up the new arrival with caution, waiting to see his next move. If he was with the two boys that were intimidating Izuku he couldn’t take a chance, even if that meant exposing himself further. Bakugo regarded him for a few seconds longer before sweeping the rest of the alley, quickly spotting Izuku standing in a defensive posture.

Izuku watched as a range of emotions ran across Bakugo’s face, finally settling on his normal anger.

_Great, so much for ignoring me._ Izuku mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen. This time he wasn’t sure he could quell the fury of either side.

But instead of the brawl he had been expecting, Bakugo simply turned around and began skulking away. “Stop wasting your time and move it, extras!” Yubi quickly complied, more than thankful for the excuse to get out of that situation as fast as possible. Tsubasa hesitated for a second, eyeing the imposing figure that was Cole with disdain, though he made no attempts to instigate further. Either he was just as scared and just wasn’t showing it, or Bakugo’s ordering him to follow was all that was needed as he too began walking way – shooting one last disgusted look towards Izuku.

Once Izuku couldn’t hear their foot steps anymore he breathed a sigh of relief, though he could still feel the sea of emotions inside of him raging and twisting as it tried to make sense of what he was feeling. He looked back at the direction the group of three walked off to.

_Well, at least he’s still ignoring me. But why wasn’t he with Tsubasa and Yubi to begin with?_

“You alright kid?” Izuku watched as Cole took careful steps forward with his Amp now in hand, making sure he was still covered in the shadow of the two buildings.

Izuku offered a comforting smile, doing his best to hide the whirlwind of emotions that _situation_ had brought with. “Yeah, thanks for stepping in.” Izuku scratched the back of his head. “That could have ended badly if you hadn’t stalled them.”

“Wasn’t really aiming to stall.” Cole huffed, in truth he was trying to make them shit themselves, or just run in terror. Letting his body relax, Cole placed down his weapon, the last sparks of electricity fading back into him. “Anyway, you handled yourself pretty well. A lot of kids your age with your kind of strength would jump at the prospect of a fight, especially with assholes like them.”

“I-I just didn’t see a point.” He shrugged, before letting his arms fall to his sides, the thoughts and questions that he was trying to contain spilling out. “That was honestly the weird part.”

“Weird?” The lightning user questioned, tilting his head slightly.

Izuku leaned against the building, all the feelings that he could usually push down rising faster than he thought possible. “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t I have jumped at it?”

“Did you want to?” Cole asked, growing more and more confused at the apparent contradiction between Izuku’s actions and evident desires.

“No no no! I don’t mean that I wanted to fight them for fun or anything like that.” Izuku quickly clarified. Cole remained silent, waiting for Izuku to continue explaining, though visibly less tense.

“It’s just…” Izuku paused, he stared at the floor in front of him, the internal debate he was having not well hidden.

“Take your time.” The softness and understanding Cole conveyed eased Izuku’s worries, maybe he did need to talk about it. At least a little bit.

“…when we were growing up, I used to get p-picked on a lot. I got called names and when they weren’t doing that, they were ignoring me. Looking down on me. And every time I had to pick myself up and walk away…”

“You were angry.” Cole didn’t pose it as a question.

“… Yeah, I was angry, and I wanted to prove them wrong.” Izuku slumped down to the alley floor, hanging his arms over his legs as he did so. “But this time, when I actually had the strength, when I could have done something about it… I just didn’t see a point in being angry. I wanted to be, but when I looked at them all that vanished. I wasn’t angry nor scared, I didn’t pity them, I wasn’t even annoyed. I just didn’t want to fight them. I didn’t want _that_.” Izuku let his head rest on his chest, desperately trying to understand his emotions or lack thereof.

“And what is _that_?”

“I don’t know, and that’s what makes it weird. I don’t even know why I’m not angry, yet some part of me does.”

The pain and confusion written across Izuku’s face unsettled Cole. He had never been good at emotions or reading people, not in the way Zeke or Delsin were. So, when faced with this situation, he shocked himself by actually understanding how Izuku felt. The want to be angry, to hurt the one who had hurt you, to take everything from them like they did. Only to find yourself rejecting it all when you got the chance.

“I get it.” Izuku looked up to Cole with even more questions. “I’ve been angry before; I’ve been in a situation where I got the shit beaten out of me, and had _everything_ taken away in an instant. I wanted to level _everything_ in my way as I tore them apart piece by piece – I just wanted to be angry.”

Cole’s eyes held more pain than Izuku thought possible, pain that he recognized; that of have everything you wanted taken away. “I had his head in my hands and I wanted more than anything to be angry.”

…

“But you weren’t, were you?”

Cole slumped down next to Izuku, the laugh he released held enough regret and anguish that Izuku could physically feel it. “No.”

“Why?”

Cole set his jaw for a second before speaking. “Because I didn’t want _that_. I just kept trying to make myself angry, I kept thinking of everything he had done to me, but nothing. No sparks of rage or fury, even as the asshole begged me to do it.” Cole’s eyes were a million miles away. “At that moment one thing went through my mind. One thing that kept that guy alive.” Cole fully faced the green-haired teen, his eyes far redder than a few minutes ago.

“‘Why should I have to be like you?’”

It took Izuku less than a second for the weight of those words to show their meaning, and when they did… it made all the sense in the world.

Why should he have to be like them? Why should he have to be angry? Why should he have to hurt them like they hurt him? He had everything he needed. The strength to be a hero, _real_ power to help people like he promised Delsin, friends that were _actual_ friends, a mother that supported him and meant it. He had a way forward. All they had was anger, hate, and bitterness. Everything he thought he should be feeling. Everything he knew he would feel as he _proved_ himself.

He didn’t want that. 

“ _You_ get it, don’t you?” Cole gave Izuku a reassuring look, subtly telling him that he was right. “There’s no point to that kind of anger…”

“All it brings is pain.” Izuku finished the thought, _that’s_ what he didn’t want. He didn’t want to hurt people like they did.

“Yeah.”

Izuku thought about all the times he had felt that burning pain. When he was told he wouldn’t have a quirk, but he didn’t know who he was angry with, only the tears that followed. When Kach- Bakugo first hurt him, he was angry that his friend had betrayed him; his friend had hurt him. When his teachers had ignored him, when everyone had belittled and dismissed him, when he met All Might.

Every time there was pain, a part of him always wanted prove them wrong. But that part of him was always driven by rage and fury. That’s not what a hero should be driven by. That’s not what Delsin would want.

“It really isn’t worth is it.” Izuku let out a tired sigh, a content smile forming, slowly. “Still, not very satisfying though.” He huffed sarcastically.

“Not short term no, but it’s nowhere near as tiring.” Cole patted him on the shoulder, his emotional capacity for the day finally reaching its limit.

“You sure? Cause I feel exhausted.” The two laughed quietly at their attempts to lighten the mood. Izuku couldn’t help but think over the last few minutes. “So, what was that lightning show then? Cause you sure looked angry to me.”

Cole laughed louder, “Theirs a difference between being angry and pissed off.” He explained, standing up and dusting off his pants.

“Aaand that would be creating a lightning storm in an alley?” Cole almost sent a fully-charged shot at the teenager for the teasing smirk that he shot at him, instead he compromised.

He leant forward and rested his hand on Izuku’s knee. Sending out a low charge current, he watched amusedly as the green-teen let out a yelp, his leg shooting outward. “Being pissed off allows for a bit more immediate action.” Cole winked, stashing his Amp before starting to make his way further down the alley. “Come on, I need a beer!”

Izuku rubbed his leg and glared at Cole. “This is what I get for getting comfortable with him.” Izuku pouted, standing up and cleaning off his pants. He gave one last look down the now empty street before following after his friend.

“Also, I think we need to go over your definition of illegal quirk usage. Cause I’m pretty sure starting a _lightning storm_ – because it was just that – in an alley, is a lot worse than what they were going to do.” Izuku pointed out.

Cole groaned in mock-frustration. “You know what. Next time I’ll stay out of it if all you’re gonna do is criticize me.” He gave a pointed look at the green-haired child that was in zapping distance.

“I’m just saying, I don’t think it’s very incognito for a vigilante.” Izuku smiled teasingly.

Cole stopped, the look he was giving Izuku made the teen realize he may have pushed it. The mischievous grin that formed affirmed that train of thought. “Well, I think with this new-found courage that you’re so happily embracing, that it’s finally time to start combat training.” The added crack of electricity in his eye’s reminded Izuku of Cole’s sadistic tendencies when it came to _normal_ training. Now he had to deal with what Cole considered _actual_ combat.

_Yeah, I pushed it. Crap._

* * *

So maybe Cole was going to enjoy this part of the training more than he should, but Izuku would still be stronger for it.

Cole looked over to the green-teen, watching the stark realization of what was to come show itself on his students face. He smiled even wider at the clear lack of emotional tension in Izuku's body compared to three minutes ago.

_So maybe that little spat wasn't the worst thing in the world._ He hummed to himself.

He thought back to the alley, one thing he saw concerned him though.

_Why did that blonde kid look so guilty when he saw Izuku?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time "Amping Up The Challenge" with Cole MacGrath.
> 
> Now I have the right preview title.
> 
> So this took a lot longer than I thought it would, but the chapter is longer as well so and equivalent exchange I suppose.
> 
> With the topic of Tsubasa, considering who his grandfather is, I wanted to him to have this personality that reflects his grandfathers quirk obsessed surroundings.
> 
> As for Yubi, I know he has no official name in the series so I used the translation for fingers as a substitute.
> 
> Now in terms of the topic of anger, we are nowhere close to being done with it. Just cause Izuku realizes it's not in his nature to hurt others out of rage and fury (rage and fury, not anger) doesn't mean he's not going to get angry. He's human, not a god, I will treat him as such.
> 
> In terms of Bakugo. This is not going to be a hate on Bakugo fic. I hate what he did, not who he is. Out of everyone in MHA he has the most room to grow considering his starting point, and I want to use that. He will face consequences, trust me, I already have that planned out. However I also want him to feel something about how he treated Izuku, and like they say: "The worst kind of pain one can experience is often that of a guilty conscience." I'll leave it at that.
> 
> See ya.


	9. Amping Up the Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zeke freaks out, new information is brought to light, Fetch loses a bet and a gift is given.

“I don’t like sand.” He sighed heavily, slowly picking at a piece of metal that lay next to him, watching as the crimson-yellow flakes withered off as he flicked it. He let out a puff as the feeling in his legs began to return, aches and numbness slowly fading away as _Regen_ repaired any damaged nerves or broken bones. “It’s coarse… rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere.” The small piece of scrap snapped as his fingers struck a weak-spot of the material.

Cole stared at emerald-teen from his perch on the ever-dwindling garbage piles, “Whatever you say, Vader.”

Izuku looked up from his prone position on the beach, “Who?” He asked with his head tilting ever so slightly.

“Of course, you don’t know.” Cole scoffed as he sent a small charge through the rusted desk fan next to him, the blades spinning wildly as the electricity energized it. “Your spine repaired yet?”

Izuku pushed himself onto his back. He began tensing the muscles throughout his legs while wiggling his toes and twisting his feet. Satisfied that the numbness was all but he gone, he pulled himself up, shaking off any sand that had clung to his sweaty clothes.

“Yeah I’m good”

“Alright then” Cole stepped off the broken car and onto the beach. He picked his Amp out of the sand, small sparks going off as his hand made contact. “Round 12, let’s see if you can survive more than a few minutes” he teased, adopting a combat stance while grinning sadistically.

Izuku readied himself, letting _Smoke_ pool around his arms while he lowered himself into position. “Let’s go!” he challenged eagerly.

Zeke simply stared in horror at the casual exchange between the two, both acting as though Cole hadn’t damn near broken Izuku’s _spine_ in two, mere minutes ago. He was pretty sure one of his eyes was twitching behind his shades, and if he didn’t close his agape mouth soon a fly would investigate.

“I know Cole said that he wasn’t gonna go easy with the combat…” he watched as his two friends engaged one another, Cole attempting to land charged blows with his Amp and Izuku doing his best to stay alive, twisting and dodging around Coles attacks while trying to close the distance created by Coles weapon. He watched as a swing from Cole missed Izuku’s ribs by _inches_ and left a rather considerable hole in the side of a vehicle. “But isn’t this a little too much?”

“They’ve been doing this for weeks now,” Fetch replied. “And don’t you remember when Cole jumped him at the store?” Zeke visibly shivered at the memory. “See, besides Green can handle it.” she half-heartedly reassured, her attention to absorbed into the book she was reading as she lazed on an old couch.

Zeke was still trying to come to terms with the literal _back-breaking­_ training that had evidently been going on between a teenager and middle-aged vigilante. It’s not like he wasn’t aware of Cole’s more… harsh tendencies when it came to training – he had even called him on his sadistic streak a few times – but actually _seeing_ a teenager getting his back _broken_ for practice was more than he could handle.

If he wasn’t so absorbed in his own disbelief, he would have teased Fetch about her growing respect for the emerald-boy, but right now he was trying to understand her acceptance of it all.

“How are you ok with this?” He asked incredulously.

Fetch set down her book on her chest, clearly growing frustrated at the constant interruptions. “Used to it, my training with him wasn’t just target practice on a moving target. He had to deal with me shooting back as well. I didn’t really _break_ anything, but he never left here without having to charge up.” She still felt the phantom pains of where his attacks had landed.

_Neither of us did_.

“Besides-” She changed the subject, “didn’t you point a gun at him the first time you met?” the teasing glint in her eye didn’t go unnoticed by the glasses-wearing man.

“H-hey! We both know that was justified!” He glared at her, but there was no real bite to his argument.

“Sure” Fetched laughed, slowly shaking her head. “Boys.”

Zeke huffed, though his worries about the training were now starting to ease.

He wasn’t sure if he should be unsettled by that fact.

* * *

Izuku ducked low as Cole’s _Amp_ swung over-head, small sparks connecting with his neck and sending tingles though his body. He shot a punch forward from his crouched position, aiming at Cole’s ribs while his guard was open, fist powered by smoke.

It took a few days for Izuku to learn that if he allowed _Smoke_ to cover a certain appendage, it helped strengthen that part of his body. The energy that he always felt within supercharging his body and making it more durable in turn, with almost no cost to his stores as long as he didn’t let any of his smoke separate from him.

Then he ran the power through his whole body like his first day of training.

It was like adrenaline.

His muscles bulged and everything around him slowed, and he couldn’t help but enjoy the rush that came with it. The increase in perception was mind-boggling; he could see every stroke as a passing seagull flapped its wings, waves crashing down unfolded and broke frame by frame. It was a sensory overload.

The first few times he could barely control his movements; his perception of time and his speed barely matched – turns out controlled adrenaline is a lot different from the usual fight or flight rush – but a few rounds of sparring, and more than a few times on his ass, helped give him an idea of what he was working with.

Now it was like watching a video at half of its normal speed. His brain processing every image faster and, in more detail, allowing to him break down fights quicker than he ever thought possible

An elbow connected with the side of his face, sending him sprawling onto the sand. Cole sent a charged shot directly at his chest, causing his muscles to spasm and body to lock up.

It was too bad Cole’s _Electricity_ basically did the same thing for him, and he had the years of experience to top it off.

Cole grinned at Izuku’s spasming form, “Five minutes.”

Izuku sent the best glare he could muster as the last spasms of electricity ran through him, silently wishing he had enough strength to send a shot off at Cole’s foot. He resigned to simply giving a pointed look.

“It was longer than last time.” Cole shrugged.

“And less broken bones!” Zeke’s voice echoed from the side.

“Thanks Zeke!” Cole gave an appreciative thumbs up as he waited for Izuku to get up.

Izuku panted as the last surges of tension and electricity left him, his muscles and bones aching from the spasming movements.

Cole crouched down next to him, “You need a top up?” he asked, gesturing to the small fire they had burning in the back of the van from Izuku’s first day of training.

Izuku shook his head, his breathing now returning to normal, “No, I’m ok. Wasn’t that hard a hit.” He reassured sitting up.

He propped himself on his elbows, slowly rubbing the spot where Cole’s jaw had connected. Positive that there was no pain he steadied his breathing, taking in the environment as he rested for a few moments.

The previous mountains of trash had now been reduced to large heaps of appliances and motor vehicles, with a few pieces of furniture here and there. The wall of garbage that had shielded them from the outside world was rapidly disappearing; with their little training ground now completely exposed to the sea, and anyone with a quirk that increased their height being able to see in from the road if they were looking. He smiled fondly as he saw Zeke and Fetch talking by the couch that Cole had forbidden him from removing until the last day.

Cole nudged him, breaking Izuku out whatever spell had taken over his mind, “You gonna keep day dreaming about Mt Lady or we gonna get back to training.”

“Ehh!?” Izuku’s face went redder than a stop sign.

Cole nearly doubled over laughing, “God that never gets old!” he wheezed out while clutching his stomach.

Right Cole had taken to teasing him as his newest form of torture. “T-that’s n-n-not funny!” he complained, face still burning hot at his mentors’ comment.

“O-oh I beg to differ.” He wiped a tear from his eye, still looking thoroughly satisfied with himself.

_Can’t he just go back to jumping me in alleyways_ , Izuku pleaded internally.

“Should have never let you look at my notebooks.” Izuku crossed his arms and pouted, referring to Cole seeing his detail of describing a part of Mt. Lady’s persona as ‘sexy’. He never meant it in _that_ way, it was just an observation of how she interacts with public – if only Zeke had seen it that way instead of drawing everyone’s attention to it.

In the meantime; Cole’s mind was drawn back to _his_ entry. “Now that, we can both agree on” he shivered at the level of detail Izuku went into.

* * *

“We think we have a solid lead on the people who killed Rowe.”

Izuku stopped dead in his tracks, his hand – inches away from the door to the workshop – began to shake as his mind registered the statement. It had been over seven months since the day, and four since Eugene said they had any knew info. Even then it was all speculation, whispers and mutterings about someone taking out ‘The Smoker’, but with no faces or names attached to them. So, a _solid_ lead… Izuku nearly burst through the door begging for an explanation.

_‘You only knew him for barely an hour, and this is what he did to you… Jesus that guy was something else.’_

The words Cole had said all those months ago rung through his mind. Izuku may have only known Delsin for an hour, but it didn’t feel like it. It felt like he had known him for years; the visions he had experienced, had _felt_ , still left him theorizing. Maybe a part of Delsin had imprinted on him. There were thousands of theories that a person’s quirk was in some way tied to their soul. Personalities and preferences often lining up with someone’s powers. Izuku thought back to Bakugo, his often-explosive temper and spicy food preferences matching perfectly with his quirk.

“Who and where?” Fetch’s barely restrained tone of righteous-fury broke Izuku out of his daze.

…

There was a pregnant pause for a few moments before Tsukauchi spoke again. “I can’t tell you that, I’m sorry.” Izuku could hear the regret in his tone, but it did nothing to rid him of the frustration he felt at not knowing, and he could only imagine what the others must be feeling.

“Then why even tell us in the first place, _badge_!” Fetch yelled; anger laced through her voiced

“Because I thought you would like to know we haven’t tossed this case aside, _Walker_.” Tsukauchi said through gritted teeth, desperately trying to contain his own feelings on the topic.

“So just dangle this in front of us and make us jump for it. We’re not animals, assho-”

“Fetch!” Zeke’s grounding voice brought her out of her spiraling emotions, the comforting hand on her shoulders helping her restrain the torrent of feelings to a degree.

For an awkward second there was nothing before the scraping of shoes on the concrete floor and the sound of someone walking down a flight of stairs echoed out.

* * *

Tsukauchi let the stress leave his shoulders, the tense air now finally dissipating. He knew Fetch wasn’t going to take the secrecy well, and if he was being honest with himself; he expected that to escalate far more than it did. “I’m sorry.” He sighed tiredly. “I’m under orders not to reveal too much, this _is_ a very sensitive case considering the circumstances.”

Cole was sitting atop the central work bench, his face now taking on a scowl. “Has Izuku been called in for any more information?”

“No, I assured them that all he told us all he knew, he’s being kept out of it. I made sure of that.” He also made sure that upper management kept his name off of any documents concerning the investigation as well, last thing he needed was the wrong person finding out and wanting to tie up loose ends.

Cole nodded slowly, worries slightly placated by Tsukauchi’s response. “I’m not gonna lie and say I’m happy that we’re being kept in the dark, but not much I can do about it anyway.”

“I appreciate your understanding.”

“Don’t get confused.” Cole cut off Tsukauchi’s train of thought. “I’m not gonna stop looking. Cause if a _cop_ can find info, then you better believe I can rip it out of somebody.” Cole’s face was sparking with determination, vengeance filling his eyes.

Tsukauchi grit his teeth again, hand clenching into a fist.

_Why can’t you just let me handle this_?

“Cole I’m asking you to give me time, trust me that I’m doing what I can to sort this out; legally.” He was near begging for them to stay out of it.

“We both know we can’t do that.” Cole’s voice didn’t waver.

“This isn’t America, we’re not dealing with corrupt governments! You’re not running from anyone.” His gazed softened slightly. “This isn’t _her_.”

Cole stiffened, “I’m already a vigilante. What’s one more bullseye on my back.” He bit back.

“This will make you an _active_ target for the police. This isn’t you taking down dealers, this is interfering with police business.” Tsukauchi looked towards Zeke, hoping desperately that _he_ would at least see reason. But even through his tinted glasses his desire to follow this through was just as unshakable as Coles.

“That changes nothing man, this is Del we’re talking about.”

Tsukauchi nearly punched the wall in frustration, his temper finally reaching its limit. “I’m letting you know as _favor_ , but if you get _anywhere_ near this investigation. I. Will. Arrest you.” he hissed through closed teeth, promptly turning around and storming out of the shop. He didn’t even notice a patch of green hair hiding behind the door as he marched out.

* * *

“Was that wise to piss him off?” Eugene questioned, quietly playing with the zipper of his jacket.

Cole huffed, “Doesn’t matter if it was or wasn’t, I’m not letting this go. He was _our_ friend.” He stared at the retreating trench coat as Tsukauchi made his way to his car. “Zeke, you think you can ask around, see if anyone has heard anything new?”

“I’ll have to check, might have to visit Knuckles old crew, see if they got something for me.” He hummed, his mind running through and sorting contacts.

Cole nodded, turning over to Fetch who was standing halfway up the staircase. She looked hollow. “We’ll find something. If the police can dig something up so can we.”

“I know.” She answered somewhat robotically. Cole hated seeing them like this, the wounds may have been closing, but it was slow. The fact that they didn’t know who took Delsin away only served to worsen that process. Even if a patch of green was beginning to lessen the extent of it.

“Eugene.” The gamer in question looked up from his anxious fiddling. “We’re gonna need to dig deep for this one, that means underworld sources. Send a demon to speak to Gi-” Cole paused as another electrical hum filled his senses. He was so engrossed in Tsukauchi’s news that he didn’t even sense the bio-electrical buzz of a new person – especially one so familiar.

“What’s wrong?” Zeke questioned as Cole’s sudden stop and immediate tensing, his hand quickly moving to his side-arm.

Cole let his head drop to his chest as he massaged his temples, “How much of that did you hear, kid?”

Zeke clicked his tongue, “Ah, shit.”

* * *

Tsukauchi let his head rest against the cool material of his steering wheel as he parked his car just outside the police station, the exhaustion of dealing with the Conduits finally taking its toll.

_Can never be easy can it._

He let out a tired sigh. He knew Fetch was gonna be an issue, he figured Cole would be a hardcase about it. But he at least thought he could get them to see _reason_. He understood how close they were as a group; he knew the desire to avenge their fallen friend. It’s not like he wasn’t there six years ago. Just because he had to distance himself didn’t mean he stopped caring; it didn’t mean he forgot his promise.

But he also knew that this needed to be handled through the right channels, this couldn’t be a vigilante operation. Not if there was a chance that either one of _them_ were involved.

He turned to the folder laying on his passenger seat. The edge of the photo poking out from the side, teasing him to take another look. He caved in, picking up the bundled group of pages, leads and possible theories scribbled down amongst the facts. He opened the first, the photo held to the binder by a small paper clip.

He stared at the subject of interest, a chill shooting up his back as he looked over the shadow. He turned his attention to the statement provided by the witness. They only received it now due to it being reported a prefecture over, but the details of one of the people in the photo matched Delsin to a T. The beanie and chain being a dead give-away. Even as his lower half was falling through the dark void that was supposed to be floor of the alley.

He felt bile and rage bubble up as he viewed what was most likely the last moment before whoever killed Delsin took him. They couldn’t even identify the features of the person standing next to him thanks to him blending into the shadows.

He breathed deep, calming his anger and frustration before it boiled over and he needed a new window. He slapped the folder closed, unbuckling himself from his car before shutting the door and turning towards the station.

The picture slipped loose as he fast-walked, the top half now sticking out for the world to see as he made his way inside.

However, the only identifiable feature was a glowing pair of eyes, and a metal neck-brace.

* * *

Two months and nothing new, no developments, not even a whisper of information. At least none that Izuku knew about.

He stared at the last wall of trash remaining on the mostly-clean, Dagobah beach front. The last wall that hid them from the world, the last wall before he was ready for UA.

Ever since Tsukauchi’s last visit, the group had been extra careful to make sure he was kept out of their vigilante activities, not wanting to risk him hearing the wrong thing. It’s not like he didn’t understand why. Plausible deniability. Protection. Not wanting to risk his future. All of it was to keep him safe and not jeopardize his career as a pro-hero, or have him become a loose end if the wrong person found out his connection to them. Being friends with vigilantes was dangerous enough as is, but knowing what they were up to was an entirely different scenario.

A flick to his temple sent a shot of adrenaline through his body that shook him awake. He immediately dived to his left before bringing up his hand with smoke shot armed and ready.

Fetch looked at him with parts concern and amusement. “Jesus, Cole really has done a number on you. Good reaction time though.” She pointed out as she took some measured steps back. 

“S-sorry.” He laughed awkwardly, quickly shoving aside his thoughts.

“What was the reason this time?” Izuku nearly laughed at the fact that he knew she meant him spacing out. _Guess I have been doing a lot lately_.

“Just thinking.” He nodded towards the pile of junk. “One more pile and I’m done, I’ll be that much closer to UA.”

She nodded before adopting a smirk, “Few more months and you can get the shit beat out of you _legally_.”

Izuku gaped in mock offense, “I can handle myself.”

“You can handle some angels and demons, sure. You still have yet to make any of us eat dirt.” She gestured towards Cole who was currently lazing on the couch.

“It’s sand actually.” He quickly pointed out.

“Sorry, never got close enough to know.” She countered, the banter between the two causing Cole to chuckle. Their relationship was more that of brother and sister than friends, either throwing jabs with no bite or trying to blast each other into the ground. Well more Izuku trying and Fetch actually succeeding. Either way, it was a definite improvement compared to months ago, and the training definitely helped occupy Fetch’s mind.

“So, what’s the exercise today?” Izuku questioned as Fetch stretched out her muscles, her jacket jingling as she moved.

Fetch flexed her fingers, rolling her shoulders as she began to let _Neon_ run throughout her body. “Well, according to Cole, your getting pretty good with your hand-to-hand.” Her arm moved inside her jacket, Izuku quickly lowered his body and let _Smoke_ pool around his arms. “So…” she pulled a chunk of metal out from her jacket, her face growing somber as she stared at it.

Izuku loosened his shoulders a little at her expression, not moving from his stance his voiced his concern. “I-is everything ok? Did you forget something?”

She looked up from the metal that lay in her hands, the swirling emotions in her calming as she looked over the kid that reminded her oh so much of _him_ , of both of them.

“Catch.” She said simply, tossing the item right at him. He quickly tensed up at the incoming object, mind defaulting to his training.

He responded by shooting it.

“What the hell!” She screeched at him, anger and disbelief very evident as Cole doubled over laughing on the couch, a ‘told you’ gurgling out as he clutched his sides.

Izuku’s eyes widened at her reaction, head snapping between a very pissed off Fetch and hysterical-Cole, “W-w-was I not supposed to s-shoot it?”

She face-palmed loud enough that Cole could hear it over his wheezing. If Izuku didn’t look like a muscular-puppy that had been caught eating food off the table, she would have shot him, “No you idiot. You were _supposed_ to _use_ it!”

“I-I-I’m sorry, I-I t-t-thought you were t-trying to a-attack me.” He began apologizing, rapidly bowing – Cole was worried he was about to snap in half at the speed.

Fetch pinched the bridge of her nose, “This is why I hate working with boys.” She groaned as the green-teen made his way over to pick up the item. Cole slid up next to her, a knowing grin on his face accompanied an outstretched hand – Fetch wanted to shoot him too. “Pay up.”

She growled at him, left hand twitching in desperate want to blast that smirk off his face. Her right hand dipped into her jacket, pulling out the clip where she kept the money for Cole’s stupid bet, quickly handing it over.

“Appreciate the business.” He slid off back to the couch.

Izuku, in the mean-time, stared quizzically at the chain that lay in his hands, slightly blackened with soot from his attack but otherwise undamaged.

“So, what am I doing with this?” He questioned, completely oblivious to the interaction between his two teachers.

Fetch stowed away her frustrations for the time being, “You’re gonna be fighting with it.” She explained.

Izuku raised an eyebrow, “With a chain? I mean… it handled my attack pretty well, but that was one shot. Can it handle my hits? And what if someone grabs it or uses it against me? But then again it would be good for restraint, and maybe if I use smoke in tandem…”

“Green!” Fetch snapped him out of his muttering.

He smiled sheepishly, “Sorry.”

She groaned slightly, it wasn’t her idea to give it to him, but it wasn’t something she rejected either. Now she had to deal with what came with it, “Its fine. But yes, its sturdy and pretty good for restraint, but besides that we know it works with _Smoke_.” She ignored the hollow feeling as the meaning behind those words reared its head.

“What? How do you…” His eyes widened in realization. In almost an instant his tongue turned to led, and the weapon in his hand felt more like a priceless artifact than a tool belonging to the predecessor of his quirk. “R-r-really?” He asked carefully, as though they _hadn’t_ already insinuated he could use it.

“It works, we know that much, plus it’s pretty versatile. So yeah, really. You need a weapon; your strength is alright as is but that will only get you so far.” Fetch was doing her best not to let anything show, the idea of letting Izuku use it… it didn’t feel wrong. That only served to twist the knot in her stomach more.

Izuku meanwhile was staring at the chain in awe. His mind wondering about all the stories it must hold, all the villains it must have defeated. His inner-fanboy was giddy at prospect of wielding it himself.

And then he looked towards Fetch and his dorky smile fell away. He wondered how she must be feeling about this. This belonged to Delsin, and if what Zeke had said about the two of them was true, and considering her initial reaction to his training; it only served to grow his worry.

“I-Is this okay?”

“I said it was-”

“Are _you_ okay with this?” He cut her off, the last thing he wanted was for her to be uncomfortable or resent this. He knew Delsin for an hour, she knew him for _years_ , he wasn’t going to pretend that never happened; that she was entirely ok with this.

Fetch flinched in response, Izuku hitting a little to close to home, but she knew him, he just cared too much. It was never malicious or because he was nosey; it was because even if he lost an arm, he would make sure the person he pushed out of the way was alright.

She took a steadying breath, allowing her feelings to flow through. “I am actually. I thought I wouldn’t be, but I am.” Her voice was strained, and Izuku could tell there was more to say but this wasn’t the place or time to push that button. They had only recently started to get along, the training acting as sort of bridge for them to find common ground. He didn’t want to mess up what they had just achieved, but he couldn’t not do anything – so he compromised.

“I… appreciate this.” He stared at the metal links in his hand. “And I would never try and replace him, I never could. But I will do him proud, that I promise.” His eyes burned and embers of emerald began swirling over his arms and dripping onto chain.

She ignored the feeling of wanting to curl into her jacket and hide from all this, instead offering the best smile she could muster. “Thanks, green.” She coughed into her hand, “Now, enough screwing around. You gotta learn how to use that; so, let’s get to it.”

It was forced and a way for her to hide herself for the most part, but like he said: this wasn’t the time or place. He instead returned her gesture with as much positivity as he could muster, “You got it.” He smiled back.

She nearly asked for Zeke’s sunglasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: "Friends and Robots" with Ochako Uraraka 
> 
> Literally posting this at midnight but I wanted to get this up cause I'm really excited for next chapter.
> 
> So this took a lot longer than my unofficial-official ten day posting cycle but exams kicked my ass ten ways to Sunday and I needed downtime before my brain exploded. Anyway enough excuses.
> 
> In regards to Smoke buffing Izuku's senses; I'm not talking quirk level cognitive function, more being on adrenaline but controlling it, so you're focused on everything rather than just the fight or running away.
> 
> Fetch and Izuku's relationship is progressing, they aren't friends, and Cole's brother-sister opinion - while baring merit - is a little off the mark. Their is a lot of baggage there still to be unpacked.
> 
> Now if the preview title for the next chapter didn't click for you; We are FINALLY going into the entrance exam. Super excited to finally be getting to UA and finish the training arc.
> 
> Also if you didn't notice the character mention, I will be updating a relationship tag incase you missed it next chapter.
> 
> See ya.


	10. Friends and Robots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku finishes his training, runs into a gravity-girl, gets sussed, and makes his statement.

“Done!” Izuku cheered as he loaded the couch into the garbage container, the final piece of trash that had been barred from being removed until the last second finally meeting it's end.

Eight months of blood, sweat and literal broken bones had built up to this. Eight months of early mornings and late evenings – eight months of hell training – had led him here.

He spun around and took in the sight of the spotless coastline. What once was the harsh blemish of Musutafu was now it’s shining jewel; soft sand, a breath-taking sunrise and crystal-like waters. Honestly it looked like something from out of a post card; and he was the one who made it look that way once again. He couldn’t stop the tears that began to spill as the gravity of it all finally came crashing down.

He did it.

He fulfilled his promise to Cole. He was ready for the entrance exam. He was going to honor his promise to Delsin.

He was gonna become a hero.

He walked to steps that led to the clean sandy shores, taking his place next to the man who pushed him all this time, his teacher, his mentor… his friend.

“You did it.” Cole chuckled, taking another swig of his drink as he enjoyed the warm rays of the setting sun.

“Y-yeah.” Izuku sniffed, trying his best to pull back his tears of… joy? Or was it pride? He settled with happiness. “Yeah I did.”

“Crybaby.” Cole teased, his voice echoing off the inside of the bottle as he took a sip.

“Can you blame me?” Izuku wiped away the tears, his smile of absolute bliss never leaving. “We’ve been doing this for nine months, nine months we’ve been here basically every day; training, cleaning, practicing… it’s just a lot.”

Cole set his drink on the step below him, opting to lean back on his arms and enjoy the view. “Not blaming you. You deserve to enjoy the moment, you earned it.”

“I-I wouldn’t have even been here if it w-weren’t for all of you.” Izuku chuckled, blushing slightly at the praise.

Cole sighed, “Can’t you ever just take a compliment?” He sat up a bit straighter, making sure Izuku was facing him. “ _You_ ” He poked Izuku’s forehead, using his other hand to gesture out to the clear beach, “did this. I trained, I pushed you, hell I beat the snot out of: yes. But you came back every day, you hauled every piece of scrap up these stairs, you got back up and tried again every time we made you lie face down in the sand. And damn if that isn’t impressive considering how many times I kicked your ass.” Cole chuckled, a teasing smirk accompanying it.

“Hey!” Izuku huffed, “I tried.”

“Exactly! _You_ tried, _you_ got back up. Take responsibility for what you did, credit included.”

Izuku blushed once more, chuckling nervously as Cole listed off all he had accomplished. He didn’t redirect it this time though.

“Though not gonna lie; I was a pretty good teacher.” Cole hummed as he took another drink.

Izuku smiled fondly, slowly looking out over the sea as the last rays of light sparkled off of the waves. “Yeah, you guys are awesome.”

Izuku thought of the past nine months, all the events that had led to this point in his life, what he was like back then compared to know. Scrawny and without an ounce of confidence, hoping for something that was always out of reach. Then that day in the alley, the day his life changed, when he made his promise. His subsequent visit to the shop, the kidnapping that followed, and then his quirk. His first day training, the days that followed, his growth spurt. The days with Eugene and his creations, Fetch and the banter the two would often have, Zeke that helped him truly understand his power. His mom; their relationship was better than ever. He had friends and was happy for the first time in a long time. The run in with Tsubasa, understanding how he was gonna show the world he was a hero, one that had nothing to do with rage and fury. His combat training. Getting Delsins chain.

He looked over the links of metal that sat firmly on over his fore-arm. He didn’t remember why he wore it that way, he just swung it around his wrist after their first training… it just felt right. The links sitting comfortably against his skin, the gaps allowing for it to hug his arm tight without risk of dropping. It was his first support item, and he would cherish it forever.

He would cherish all of it forever. His quirk, his chain, his mother, his friends… everything. And he would do everything to protect them, to live up to the promises he made.

He smiled contently, letting the last rays flicker over his hair as night descended.

* * *

Izuku tied his red shoes, his hands shaking horribly with anxiety as he attempted to create the bunny ear. He breathed in deep, steadying his nerves as he sat up. He grabbed his chain off his desk, as well as the support item form and shoving both in his bag. He stared at his notebook, contemplating whether he would need or not.

_New quirks!_ He realized at the dozens of quirks he would see at the entrance exam, quickly shoving it in as well before placing his exercise gear on top and zipping up.

Izuku turned to his mirror, aiming to ensure he looked decent. He paused as he took in the sight of his body. Izuku was never a vain person, but even he could admit he looked… different. Standing over 6ft with the body of an athlete, even he could admit his otherwise plain face and shaggy green hair looked out of place on the muscular body.

He breathed in once again, clearing his mind and focusing solely on what he needed to accomplish today.

He was going to pass that entrance exam!

He walked out of his room with purpose, with one goal in mind.

“Izuku!” his mother called as he was about to leave. He turned to the shorter green-haired Midoriya matron.

“Yeah mom?” He questioned.

“I… mm” she paused as she mulled over her words. Her contemplation morphed into a content smile that carried all the love she could muster, “You’re gonna be a great hero.”

Izuku did everything in his power to not burst into tears, instead reciprocating his mothers’ smile. “I love you too mom.”

Inko nodded, and with that Izuku made his way out. Straight for UA and his future.

* * *

That cold biting in his chest was back and with a vengeance, his breathing even more restricted as the intimidating gates of UA bared down on him. The skyscraper-like buildings that made up UA’s academic buildings looming even above that.

_Why does this seem so much scarier up close?_ His anxiety was running through every scenario of where something could go wrong and the shadowy presence of UA’s structures did nothing to help with that.

He breathed in deep for the umpteenth time that morning, desperately trying to settle his nerves. _You got this; it always feels worse than what it actually is._ The sentiment did little to help, but it was enough for now.

He thought back to that day with Delsin, the months with his friends and mother. He calmed himself once more as he let his ambition drive him through the gates.

Every bone he broke and drop of blood he shed pushing him further, his conviction beginning to blaze once more as the memories flooded in. He had this. He was going to achieve his dream, fulfill his promise and become a hero!

His feet hit something and vision began to blur as the ground got closer.

_Typical._ Was the only thought that went through his mind as he began to shift his body to accommodate the fall.

Only for everything to stop and a slight feeling of weightlessness and freedom to take over. _That’s trippy._ A soft hand grabbed onto his arm from behind, slowly spinning him around.

Izuku let the stranger orientate him upwards, he watched his feet hovering inches off the ground, almost as if he was floating. “So cool…” he didn’t even realize he was muttering as he stared at the unknown quirk in awe.

“Excuse me.” A cheery voice drew his attention upwards. Green eyes met brown at equal height and his expression never left. His awe-struck face elicited a giggle from the auburn-haired girl in front him, her bangs jumping over her permanent pink-blush. “Sorry I used my quirk on you, it’s bad luck to fall so I thought I’d help.”

_G-g-irl!_ His failure to succeed in Zeke’s _socialization_ training making itself very apparent as awe turned to steaming embarrassment. _W-why did it have to be a girl!?_ The universe was out for him, he was sure of it.

“Hey are you alright?” Her giggling died down as she watched his face turn redder than she thought possible, concern growing as she thought she saw smoke erupting from his ears. “Is everything alright? My quirk isn’t making you feel sick is it?” She questioned, slowly bringing her finger-tips together and muttering a quiet ‘release’. Izuku felt his weight return as his feet made contact with ground, forcing him into a crouch, leaving him stomach level with girl in front of him.

_Wait… her quirk!_

His notebook was in his hand before she even blinked, pen poised to take action as he leaned in closer, never once moving from his kneeling position. “What is your quirk? Do you make people float or is it a form of telekinesis? Wait no you had a trigger so making people float then?” He rattled off, the auburn girl barely managing to put together his ramblings.

“Wow you really like quirks huh?” She giggled, running a hand through her hair as she did.

_Soft_.

Shaking his head Izuku laughed sheepishly, his awkwardness returning as the topic changed. “Y-y-yeah s-sorry. T-they’re j-just really cool.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. It’s cool that you’re so passionate about something.” She pumped a fist and smiled brightly, Izuku’s nerves easing slightly as her positive attitude calmed him. “Oh, and to answer your question; my quirk is called _Zero Gravity._ I can remove the gravitational pull on any object I touch with pads of my fingers.” She gestured to the rough patches that occupied the tips of her fingers.

Scribbling noises filled her ears as she watched the boy in front of her scribble down notes at light speed. “Does your quirk have a limit?” He questioned as if though it was an interview.

“U-uh yeah, 3 tons at the moment, however the more I hold the more nauseous I get.” She laughed awkwardly as memories of her staining her parent’s floors with lunch and breakfast resurfaced from when she was training.

“That’s so cool, you’d be an awesome rescue hero, or even fighter; all it would take is one touch and the enemy would be severely disadvantaged!” She blushed heavily as the random boy praised her quirk, her cheeks turning even pinker. “T-thanks!”

“Come on, the exam starts in ten minutes!” A passer-by yelled as they dragged their red-headed friend along.

“Oh, we should probably get going. Wouldn’t want to be late.” The gravity girl suggested as she watched people rush inside.

Izuku looked up from his new notes, his eagerness dying down as he realized what he had just done. “O-oh sorry, I kind of went off there.” He laughed embarrassed, notebook now nowhere to be seen.

She stared in absolute confusion as the parchment vanished. _Is his quirk summoning items?_

Izuku readjusted his backpack as he brought himself to full height, the girl now staring up as the soft face gave way to an intimidating form. “W-we should get going, don’t want to be late.”

The girl on the other hand was now blushing so hard her pinks dots had faded into red. _Tall_. Her gaze drew down to his eye-level chest. _Tight._ His shirt seemingly too small for him.

“Are you ok? I didn’t u-upset y-you, did I?” His worried tone snapped her out of the daze, his concerned eyes boring into her as soon as she made contact. _Cute._

She jumped slightly as she realized what she had been doing. Furiously scratching the back of her head as she calmed herself, “O-oh yeah, I mean no you didn’t do anything. I-I j-just got l-lost in thought.” Laughing awkwardly as she settled herself. Clearing her throat, she turned towards the doors, flinging her scarf over her brown jacket as she adjusted her backpack. “Anyway, I’ll s-see you inside.” She smiled brightly and started towards the building.

“B-bye…” _Shoot I didn’t get her name._ He face-palmed at his rudeness; cornering her into answering questions about her quirk rather than introducing himself to the person that had helped him.

_Maybe I should have listened more when Zeke was giving me pointers on talking to girls._ The rushing of applicants brought his attention back to the intimidating structure above him.

He slapped his cheeks, dispelling his thoughts, instead turning to focus on the task in front of him. _It’s too late now, I just need to focus on passing._ He set his gaze and began his trek to the exams.

He barely even noticed a certain blonde-boy walk by, but he certainly noticed Izuku.

* * *

Izuku stared at the walls of the faux-city, the feeling of awe and intimidation from earlier even more present. His stomach was doing knots as the thought of what was to come took hold, part of him wanting to simply return to the ease of the written exam. The harsh glares of numerous examinees did little to help – at least he was pretty sure it was glaring. It had been like that since he had taken his seat in the auditorium.

The memories of his interaction with Bakugo resurfaced. He thought it would have been filled with snark and anger; anger that he was still trying to be a hero. Instead he had continued his trend of the past ten months. He had simply ignored him; his only acknowledgement that Izuku even existed was him peering at Izuku’s examination location after Present Mic had finished explaining the point system awarded to the robots.

Izuku huffed, he wasn’t sure if the complete dismissal that he was even there was better than when he used to shout at him. _Probably got bored of bullying me._

“YO KID!” Izuku spun around to the voice of Present Mic who was currently standing next to a small transport vehicle. Doing his best to not whip out his notebook and ask for an autograph, he made his way over to the Voice Hero. “Y-yes s-sir.” He answered, his star struck feeling causing his mumbling to take over.

“Your examinee 2234 correct; Izuku Midoriya?” He questioned while looking over a clipboard, assumedly holding the names and numbers of all the applicants.

“A-ah y-y-es sir.” He nodded affirmatively, maybe a bit too fast considering the amused look Present Mic gave him.

Present Mic turned to the vehicle, opening a box in the back tray of the car and pulling something out of the opening. Izuku heard the familiar clinking of metal as his chain was extracted from storage, his examinee tag attached to one of the links. Mic ripped off the tag and handed the support item over. “Interesting support item you got there. Definitely one way to stand out litt-” he paused as he gave Izuku a once over, clearly stopping himself as he fully took in Izuku’s height and build. Izuku barely heard him muttering something about a Kayama and tracking devices. He quickly cleared his throat, adopting his trademark grin and presenter aura, “Definitely a good way to stand out listener!” He shot Izuku a finger gun before making his way over to another examinee.

Izuku calmed his heart rate, the conversation with FRICKIN PRESENT MIC causing his fanboy side to go nuts. He vowed to get an autograph if he got in to UA.

Izuku looked down to his chain, the familiar weight and coldness of the metal caused a sense of calm to wash over him. He gripped one and end, letting the other drop loose as he began to spin his wrist. The other end picked up speed under his movements, eventually becoming a blur as the chain spun like the blades of a helicopter; the bottom end occasionally scraping against the concrete. Giving a few experimental swings and growing satisfied he shifted his wrist again; letting the metal links wrap around his forearm and lock into place.

He breathed in deep once again and exhaled, letting his nerves leave as his mind settled into combat mode. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, his eyes snapping open to identify the threat. Instead he saw as all the eyes close to him snapped onto his form for the second time today, the sound of the metal moving and his actions obviously drawing attention to himself. His anxiety flared, causing him to lock up slightly. To those watching it seemed as though he made himself bigger, the neutral face adding to the intimidating form that he already created when he began swinging his weapon. The tight-fitting green tracksuit did little to help Izuku’s case.

A certain blue-haired teen watched the stoic form of the emerald teen with interest. _Is he here to serve as a distraction? Drawing so much attention to himself like that; he must be trying to throw us off our game._

Izuku in the mean time was internally freaking out. _Crap! Did I just put a target on my back!? I shouldn’t have drawn so much attention to myself!_

The staring only intensified as more heads followed where everyone was looking.

_Crap! No, breathe Izuku, I just need to distract myself_. 

Izuku caught sight of a familiar bob of brown hair. _Oh, the nice gravity-girl! I never did thank her_ _or apologize for earlier._ His anxiety momentarily faded as he watched her psyche herself up for the test, stretching her fingers and limbering up for the imminent physical strain they would be put under.

But as he took his first step a mechanical groaning filled the open courtyard. Izuku spun on his heel and dropped low at the sudden sound, his ~~paranoid~~ trained senses kicking in. The large doors to the city opened, gear groaning and grinding as tons of steel gave way to paved streets and concrete buildings.

Izuku let _Smoke_ pour into his body, the lack of any announcement solidifying his decision. _Better to ask for forgiveness than for beg for permission._ He summed up as he shot off like a bullet into the city, trained muscles and _Smoke_ -enhanced abilities allowing him to cover the distance in seconds. He could faintly hear the voice of Present Mic urging the other examinees to get moving.

_Guess I won’t need to say sorry._ He grinned as the surge of adrenaline finally hit, the anxiety long forgotten as his training took over. _So maybe I’ll enjoy this fight._

* * *

Izuku turned the first corner and immediately spotted his opponents, if he remembered from the briefing it was a group of one pointer. _Time to see how well this works._ He gripped the end of his chain and with practiced ease unfurled the metal links, the weapon making a satisfying _clink_ as it connected with the ground. He let _Smoke_ imbue itself with the chain, green embers and black whisps dancing over his arms and the weapon.

Tensing his muscles and dashing towards the machines he readied himself to strike, pulling his arm back and letting the metal drag behind him as he built up momentum.

Launching himself he swung his chain forward, an arc of black and green forming due to the speed. Metal connected with metal and Izuku watched with a satisfied smile as the robot’s head caved in, the hunk of scrap shooting off and connecting with the chest of the one-pointer next to it; causing it to spark and smoke up as its systems were destroyed.

Ducking under the fist of the machine to his left, he spun on his heel and brought his hand up, gripping the thin neck of the robot and squeezing. The metal caved in under the pressure, he pulled back and the whole head ripped out of its socket, wires and circuitry sparking from the disconnection.

Fast mechanical clanking drew his attention; a couple of spider-like two pointers skidding around a corner and locking on to his form.

Izuku gripped his chain tighter and let _Smoke_ cover his body, grinning as formed his plan of attack; the small joints standing out like neon lights as thoughts of tearing the machines apart entered his mind. _Damn, I really am starting to pick up Cole’s sadistic tendencies._ He grinned.

Then he dashed forward.

* * *

Shouta Aizawa was very rarely surprised, he prided himself on being informed on most topics that concerned his job; and after 13 years, that knowledge was extensive. But this green-haired teenager had done just that.

Being the underground hero Eraser head often brought with it the handling and management of vigilantes, considering they both operated at similar times it only made sense. The Conduits, as elusive as they may be, were an issue he had been dealing with for years. Unlike other vigilante groups they were strong, absurdly so. More often than not when they showed up or villains caught on that they were targeting them, they tended to hand themselves over rather than risk the Conduits finding them first.

That had made them a very prominent point of interest. And one member in particular had earned his reverence amongst the villains of Japan rather quickly. ‘The Smoker’. And more than once Aizawa had run into him.

And he’d be damned if that chain and power didn’t look familiar.

He quietly leaned over to the small Chimera that was Principal Nezu, the white-haired rat-dog-bear turning his highly intelligent beady eyes onto Aizawa. “You see it too.” It wasn’t a question, if Aizawa had to guess: Nezu had picked it up even before him and had simply waited for Aizawa to notice it himself.

“The power set and weapon are identical; height is similar too, as well as the build. But why would he expose himself like this? And the fact that he’s a teenager? It doesn’t add up.” He summed up, his thoughts running a mile a minute as he tried to put the it all together.

Nezu hummed quietly to himself, the tablet in front of him switching over to the kids’ profile. “Izuku Midoriya, from Aldera Middle School. Lives in the Musutafu area… Quirk: _Smoke Manipulation_.” Nezu gripped his chin in thought, scanning over the information for any irregularities. “Other than a few behavioral issues at school, nothing out of the ordinary. Keep an eye on him, if he does turn out to be him, having him close will be beneficial.” The principal seemingly having made up his mind pushed his tablet aside. Aizawa nodding and leaning back into his seat.

The large form that was All Might gazed over at the information, a cold spike struck through his chest as those familiar emerald eyes and green hair drew out one of his worst memories. An even colder chill ran through him at the realization that said boy now supposedly had the quirk that belonged to a vigilante.

“He’s not quirkless anymore.” All Might muttered as a dark and horrid thought came to his mind. He not-so-subtly leaned over to the principal, catching the eye of Eraser head as he did so. “I-I think we have a problem.” His voice cracked slightly as he spoke.

The vicious tint that Nezu’s eyes gained nearly sent All Might into a combat stance.

* * *

Izuku let his chain twist around the leg of two-pointer, the metal links locking as he jerked it back, the piece of hardware ripping out of its socket as he let a shot loose at its cranium. The metal caved in under the force and let off a small pop as the machine slumped to the floor.

Izuku panted lightly as he added up his points. _43, not too bad._

His senses went haywire, his feet responding instantly and pushing him forward into a role. His spun into a crouch and prepped a shot. But before he could let loose a beam of light slammed into the three-pointer, the machine exploding on impact.

Twisting to the participant who had fired it he found a blonde-boy with a giant belt over his stomach, a crystal occupying its center. “Merci pour votre aide.” He posed and twinkled as his French accent sent a shock to Izuku’s system. “We make a good team, do we not?” He struck another pose as the hairs on Izuku’s neck stood on end.

Raising a hand letting a smoke shot loose, the participant yelped as he watched the projectile head straight for him. Less than a meter before the shot would have made impact it swerved around him, creating an arc before slamming into the head of a two-pointer and sending the machine reeling back as its head was smashed.

The French boy spun around to Izuku who was offering his best comforting smile. “That we do.”

Offering a sparkling smile, the French boy bowed before making his way into another part of the city.

_45_. Izuku added up before dashing off into another area of the city.

“6 minutes examinees!” Mic’s voice echoed throughout the examination are.

_It’s only been 4 minutes!_ Izuku exclaimed internally, his perception of time having been warped due to the adrenaline. Making his way past a smoking husk of a three pointer he drew on the smoke and enjoyed the warm feeling that washed over.

A series of crashes ripped his attention away, looking up to see a bob of brown hair panting amongst the wreckage of a number of two and one pointers.

_The nice girl!_ Izuku’s eye’s widened as he watched her trying to catch her breath. _The constant use of her quirk must be tiring her out._ He looked over the corpses of the exam’s enemies. A lightbulb went off in his head as inspiration struck. Bending over and ripping out the hefty arm of the one-pointer next to him he made his way over to her.

“Hey…” he paused momentarily as he realized he still didn’t know her name, “Uhh, gravity-girl!” _Better than nothing, I guess_. He mentally cringed at the nickname.

Though it seemed to work as she looked up from her tired position, her eyes lighting up as the familiar face made his way over to her. “You looked tired.” He bluntly stated without thinking.

“Thanks” She chuckled tiredly. Realizing his mistake, he instantly began blushing, “I’m sorry, I-I-I didn’t mean to be so rude! And I-I didn’t know your name so I went with what your q-quirk was.” He bowed.

She giggled lightly at his outburst, “It’s alright, I’m just tired. And my name is Ochako Uraraka.” Her smile left him blushing slightly, this time for entirely different reasons. “Anyway, I need to hurry, I still need to get more points.” She waved at him before turning around.

“W-wait, I want to help!” he blurted out before she could run off. She turned back to him, giving him a quizzical look, “You want to _help_ me?”

“Y-yeah. I saw that using your quirk so much was tiring you out, so I brought this.” His smiled sheepishly as he held up the severed arm of a one-pointer.

She simply stared at him, “Uhh, thanks?” she said anyway, still completely confused as to what the emerald-boy was getting at.

Seeing her confusion Izuku hurriedly explained, “Oh, well I was thinking that – considering your using your quirk so much, and the arms on the robots are really sturdy – why don’t you use this as a bat. It will still hold its mass and you won’t have to worry about the weight slowing you down. It also lessens how much you have to use your quirk.” He finished with a bright smile.

Uraraka stared at him as if though he had grown a second head before her eyes widened in realization, slapping her cheeks as she deciphered all he had said, “Oh my gosh! That’s amazing, how didn’t I think of that?” She looked up at him as he pushed the arm a bit more forward. She gingerly gripped it and felt her quirk take hold. Lifting it she realized there was barely any strain and gave a few experimental swings.

Izuku watched in awe as she swung the metal arm as if though it was as light as a feather, “Your quirk is so awesome.”

Blushing slightly, she bowed, holding the new weapon out to the side. “You thought of it so thank you… uhh”

“Izuku Midoriya” He chuckled nervously as he realized he hadn’t told her his name.

Standing up she locked eyes with him, “Thank you Midoriya.” She smiled brightly, quickly turning around and making her way in to the city in search of robots, the metal arm gripped firmly in one hand.

Izuku watched her turn the corner, a giddy smile on his face, “Awesome.”

* * *

Izuku rammed his shoulder into the body of a one-pointer, the person that it had been about to pounce on not even bothering to look back as he punched through a two-pointer with his dragon-arm.

Izuku huffed as he watched the examinee run off. _63_

He stretched his back as stiffness began to take hold; absorbing the smoke from the destroyed robot and enjoying the feeling of his energy expanding. Though a buzz in the center of his chest was beginning to worry him.

_Maybe I’m not releasing enough, I have been replenishing with external sources a lot._

Deciding it was nothing for now, he made his way onto the main street to see if he could find any left-over robots or more people who needed help. Instead he found carnage. Machine parts were strewn across the open area, examinees scattered amongst all the wreckage. He could faintly see Uraraka cave in the chest of a robot with the leg of a two-pointer.

_Guess the arm must have been broken_. He theorized as his smile grew to a grin as she stabbed the pointed leg through a two-pointers chest, protecting a pointy-haired student with crimson-white hair in turn. _She’s gonna be an awesome hero_!

He was broken out of his thoughts as Mic announced the two-minute mark.

A number of students began scrambling in different directions, frantically looking for more points. _I should have enough points, but I don’t want to risk it._

Deciding to continue he turned to one of the side-streets.

Only for a loud bang to go off, resulting in smoke and dust covering the entirety of the street.

“What was that!”

“What happened!”

“Whoever’s quirk this is, it’s not cool.”

Voices echoed before the sound of destruction muffled them all. A shockwave swept through the area as buildings began to collapse, examinees running in terror as destruction unfolded before them, giving way to a skyscraper of a machine. Massive treads and a face that looked like it shot out missiles towered over the city and its current inhabitants.

_THAT’S THE ZERO POINTER!!!_ Izuku internally screamed as students began to sprint past him, fear and terror etched on nearly all of their faces.

Izuku was glued to his spot, his body not responding to his thoughts, instead only staring at the monstrosity that had leveled dozens of buildings.

_Why can’t I move?! There’s no way I can fight that thing! Why isn’t my body working?!_ Every atom in his makeup was urging him to run but the signal to his leg was not being received, as if it was being blocked.

_I need to leave. There’s no reason to-_

“Help!” A voice that sounded all too familiar caused his palms to clam up, his tongue to turn to lead and his hairs to stand on end.

The dust cleared to reveal all too familiar brown eyes, half her body hidden under the rubble as the zero-pointer bared down on her. She struggled and fought to spin around, desperately clawing at the rock behind her; trying to get contact with all of her fingers. But she was stuck. She couldn’t get to it and that robot didn’t look like it had seen her.

It wasn’t going to stop for her.

And as that thought settled in, every muscle in his body tensed and _Smoke_ surged throughout him as he bolted straight for her.

He was on autopilot; every movement and action were out of his control.

His mind flashed with every moment that had let up to this as he stared down the face of destruction. As he ran towards someone who needed his help. Someone he could help.

The powers

The beach

The training

His mother

His friends

His promise

Delsin.

That body in the alley. The person he couldn’t save.

Only one thought went through his head.

_**SAVE HER**!_

His body erupted in smoke, the ground cracking underneath his launch point as he shot into the sky, black and green spiraling higher and higher in three balls of power.

Every person on that street watched as the smoke of destruction came alive and launched itself, sending a shockwave across the ground.

Uraraka watched as the person who had helped her ran to do so once again, even as everyone else had run off, she watched as he came back. She watched as he burst into embers and wisps of black and emerald. The shockwave loosening the debris trapping her lower half and allowing her to use her quirk to free herself. She watched him surpass the height of the monster behind her.

Tenya Iida watched as the boy, he had thought was nothing more than a distraction sent by UA, ran down a behemoth. He watched him explode into the sky. He watched him reform a the zenith of his ascent. He watched him try to save that girl.

Izuku felt himself float in the air; the clouds close enough that he felt he could touch them. He felt _Smoke_ burst into his hands as gravity took hold, his descent turning into that of a missile, blazing down. Straight into the head of the zero-pointer.

All watched as the head of the zero-pointer exploded outwards as he made contact. They watched the torso explode as the strange boy dug further and further into the colossus. Metal bursting and warping outwards at the impact of power; circuitry and machinery detonating as he passed through, suddenly stopping as he made contact with the mid-section.

A stunned silence took hold of the testing area as the display of power sunk in. One man had just torn through a zero-pointer, like a hot knife through butter, and it didn’t even take a minute.

The once titan of a machine was now split down the middle, holes dotting its sides as stray explosions went off. It looked like a giant blade had cleaved it in two.

And among the carnage, a form emerged from the machines hollowed out chest. His clothes charred and mangled, chain sitting tight against his arm as he stood amongst the destruction he had wrought.

Uraraka stared wide-eyed as the shy, nerdy, buff boy she had met today took down a skyscraper as if it was nothing.

He did it to save her.

She didn’t even care that she was blushing like crazy. She simply watched as the smoke and fire danced over his body. Highlighting every indent and curve in the armor that were his muscles. Green shaggy hair, sweeping back as the breeze ruffled through it. 

_Oh no._

Present Mic’s voiced announced the end of the practical, nobody moved as the words rung throughout the destroyed street. The shock of the spectacle they had just witnessed overriding all their senses. 

And then he fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: "Friends like these." With The Conduits.
> 
> Longest chapter by far and done in the quickest time to boot.
> 
> Also we passed 1000 hits! That is awesome and I thank you guys so much for reading this. It means a lot.
> 
> We also finally hit double digits in terms of chapter count.
> 
> This was a pleasure to write and I'm so excited now that we have finally finished the training arc and are into UA.
> 
> So we met Ochaco, and yes this is gonna be an IzuOcha fic. I had the idea of her using an arm of one of those machines as a bat for a while. Will I be giving her a giant hammer when we hit UA? We'll see. Is she going to bash skulls in? Oh yeah.
> 
> And orbital drop. I had three big fights planned out before I even started getting the story together and this was one of them. I really hope I did it justice and that you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> I doubt next chapter is gonna be this long, this needed the space, but I do have some good fluff planned out so we'll see.
> 
> See ya.


	11. Friends like These

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An awkward aftermath, Aizawa gets put through a mental crisis, an interesting sit down and a pleasant sleep.

The rush.

The pumping of adrenaline, the ringing in his ears, the feeling as if though he was being incinerated and electrocuted all at once. All of it was pouring through him as the darkness faded over the view of the examination center below him. Clear skyline and pillars of smoke slowly fading.

The feeling of flames dancing over his body like feathers and wind whipping through his hair and tickling his senses gave way to pain and flashes of light.

_“It doesn’t work for normal quirks. It appears it only recognizes Conduit DNA.”_

The blinding lights and nauseating smell of disinfectant filled his senses, leaving him disorientated and gasping for clean air as the bright lights burned his eyes..

_“It appears extended exposure to other Conduits who he has mimicked, allows for further extension of Rowe’s proficiency concerning their powers.”_

A dark mist surrounded his vision, spikes of red and black jutting out of his torso as every muscle in his body twitched and spasmed like they had a mind of their own.

_“They tell me you have more than one quirk?” A shadowed face questioned surrounded by medical machinery and equipment. The figure let his hidden face rest against his hand, adopting a stereotypical villain pose – except with all the bloodlust and overpowering aura to go with it. “And I would like to know how?”_

And then darkness once again.

_“ **Time to wake up kid.** ”_

* * *

Izuku’s eyes snapped open, the glaring light of the sun temporarily obscuring his view as a feeling of warmth enveloped him. The familiar feeling of freedom once again taking hold as buildings blurred in the peripherals of his vision, wind combing through his hair and forcing his eyes shut. He turned his vision to the comforting heat pressing against his side, momentarily blocking the winds harsh assault on his sensitive senses.

The harsh rays of light did little to help his sight as they engulfed the outline of the person holding him. Stray beams breaking through their hair and illuminating pieces of their face, Izuku catching occasional glimpses of pink cheeks and the gleam of brown eyes.

Their descent seemed to slow before eventually stopping entirely, the floating feeling leaving for a second before returning as everything came back into focus. He blinked hard, letting _Regen_ quickly wash away the dizzying feeling. The blurry edges solidified and became more defined. Green met brown and the surrounding light created an ethereal halo around her hair which seemed to bouncing back and forth. The soft smile she gave him in reassurance as she shut her eyes only added to the angelic effect.

_Wow._

He was too enraptured to notice the tapping of wood on tar, and an elderly voice attempting to grab his attention. Uraraka, likewise too engrossed in the moment, remained completely oblivious as all eyes centered on the intimate moment between the pair. A strange picture forming as the significantly shorter women, bridal-carried what amounted to an Olympic athlete.

A loud thud of wood smacking concrete broke them out of the spell, “If you two are done making goo-goo eyes at one another, could I please check the boy.” The voice of UA’s resident healer bringing to attention their close proximity and the position they were in.

Uraraka ‘eeped’ in embarrassment, retreating backwards and sending out a string of apologies and excuses. Izuku flailed stupidly as his reflexes kicked in, his brain registering his support moving away. Only he stayed in place. Slowly turning his head, he confirmed he was indeed floating a few feet off the ground; Uraraka’s quirk keeping him suspended.

“Excuse me dearie, but if you could deactivate your quirk, I’d appreciate it.” The youthful heroine dead-panned as her lack of height left her staring up at the floating form of the male student.

“O-oh right sorry.” She uttered a quiet ‘release’ while connecting her fingers, Izuku’s gravity kicking back in and causing him to fall flat onto his backside. “Sorry!”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head as the sudden impact shot through him, “I-it’s fine, didn’t hurt t-that bad.” He chuckled.

Recovery girl huffed at the boys reply, rolling her eyes as it sounded all too familiar, “I can already tell you’re gonna be trouble.” She walked up closer, performing a basic scan for any issues. “I don’t see any injuries; do you feel any pains or aches? That _was_ a big drop you took there, especially considering you’re landing.” There was an air of annoyance in her tone as she shot a glance towards the carcass of the zero-pointer.

Izuku turned his gaze towards the dead-behemoth, taking in the carnage that he had brought. “T-that really did happen, huh.” He mumbled in disbelief. Uraraka gave him a worried look while Recovery Girl face-palmed.

“Yes, yes it did. Now are you experiencing any pains, or aches, or dizziness?” Recovery Girl asked again, a bit more forcefully this time around.

“O-oh n-no; my quirk gives me a pretty good healing factor, so long as I’m topped up. If there was any problem it would have already healed.” He laughed awkwardly, waving his hands in an attempt to dismiss any worry.

The elder doctor simply huffed, though her the aura of annoyance settled slightly. She nodded, quickly handing him some gummy bears before addressing the girl behind him. “Any problems with you, dearie?”

Uraraka shook her head, “No, thankfully the debris just caved around me, it didn’t hurt anything.” Seemingly satisfied, Recovery Girl toddled off to the crowd to look for other possible injuries.

Izuku gazed back up to the wreckage, a million questions running through his mind. His memory of the event was fuzzy at best, only flashes of running straight to help Uraraka, seemingly flying upwards and his subsequent crash really registering. But the visions, those he remembered in vivid detail.

_I need to talk to Cole._

“Midoriya, are you sure you’re alright?” Izuku flinched back as Uraraka waved her hand in front of him.

“O-oh sorry, I-I just s-spaced out there. I-I’m really o-okay” He reassured her before staring back up, “It’s just s-surreal to think that I-I did… that.” He pointed to the cleaved open chest and entirely obliterated head of the machine.

Uraraka spun back around to him, raising an eye-brow, “You haven’t done it before?” She questioned.

“I-I think if I d-did that before, I’d h-have been a-arrested for all the d-damage it would have caused.” He reasoned, thoughts of obliterating Dagobah beach – scrap and appliances flying off in all directions and laying waste to the surrounding area – sending a shiver up his spine. _Yeah, that wouldn’t have ended well._

Nodding her head in understanding she offered him a hand. Izuku stared at the open palm for a second before it clicked that she was helping him up, letting out a small ‘oh’ in realization, his dumbfounded face causing her to giggle yet again. “S-s-sorry, guess I-I’m still out of it.” He chuckled.

“Well you did just dive-bomb a skyscraper.” She teased, blushing once again as remembered him emerging from the smoke, hair whipping back as the wind belted his exposed chest, clothes torn to shreds-

Her face blazed red as the adrenaline and haze of the last ten minutes died down and she fully took in his state. His top had been reduced to a few threads, barely holding together as the thin pieces of material crisscrossed over his body. His pants had been turned into, for lack of a better term: booty-shorts; the bottoms barely covering his quads. She spun around, “U-u-um, I-I t-think y-y-you need to c-change.” She stuttered out, desperately fighting her natural response to float off into the air.

Izuku stared at her, confused for a few moments before turning his attention to his attire. He took in the view of his exposed torso and barely covered legs, his shoes still somehow intact.

It took him all of three seconds before his body exploded out a blinding amount of smoke.

* * *

Aizawa sat with his head in his hands as he took in the earth-shattering information that All Might had just thrown at him. His faith in his own knowledge smashed open for the second time today.

Aizawa looked up to the towering form that was the number 1 hero, his trademark smile was replaced with anxiousness and dare he say: fear. Then to the shorter form next to him that was the source of most of his nightmares nowadays, Nezu’s predatorily-intelligent eyes looked as if though they were running through a hundred different scenarios. It was probably more than a thousand.

The viewing room had quickly cleared out once the practical examination was complete, more than a few teachers going over the final moments within _his_ site. Leaving the trio with more than enough privacy for All Might to reveal one of the most terrifying things the underground hero had ever heard.

“A villain who can _take_ and _give_ quirks.” He ran his hand through his hair as the information processed, All Might and Nezu waiting patiently for it all to sink in. “Why weren’t we made aware of this?”

All Might quickly cleared his throat, “ **That was in large due to the sheer danger that his existence created. By the time I faced him he had mostly retreated into the shadows, the world having forgotten about him decades prior. Should the public have known about him, the fear that would have spread would have derailed society. As such, I defeated him 5 years ago, at great cost**.” he subconsciously squeezed his hidden prosthetic, “ **Or at least I believed I had. But with this boy now having a quirk, one that _you_ say looks like that of someone else’s… it fits to perfectly for me not to be concerned that I may have been wrong.**”

“And that’s the other thing; why would this kid accept the help from a villain and then try to enroll at a heroics school? It’s illogical in every sense; there are heroes everywhere and his actions throughout the exam don’t scream spy to me. He actively went out of his way to help others, and drew attention to himself while doing so.” Aizawa turned to Nezu, “Sir?”

“It is rather troubling. Blackmail, threatening his family, manipulation… there are too many possibilities. We need more information, and beyond that we need to speak with him.” Nezu reasoned.

“He could just lie, there’s no way to know if he was being honest with us or not.” The scarfed man huffed, very clearly growing more frustrated.

All Might hummed quietly before he had an epiphany, “ **I may have a solution to that.** ” The heads of both teachers snapped towards him, “ **I know a detective with a lie detecting quirk – he is aware of All for One – I’m sure he would be more than willing to help.** ” All Might finished, slamming his fist down into his palm in a ‘aha’ moment.

“Excellent! Inform him of the situation, I’ll organize a date and the details of. Worst case: your theory turns out to be correct in which we arrest him on suspicion of working with a villain. Best case scenario: It’s a fluke similarity and we can put two worries to rest.” Nezu informed the duo, quickly hopping off his seat and walking to a panel near one of the screens. “I won’t go into this assuming he’s guilty, but we need to be prepared for if he is.”

“Sir,” Aizawa quickly piped up, “under what situation would authorize us to bring in a _teenager_. The last thing we want to do is make it obvious.” he pointed out.

Nezu thought over his response for a second before snapping his fingers, “His quirk is a very recent development; at his age it is an anomaly. So, we call him in wanting to discuss the details of how it occurred and if we need be concerned at all. A screening of sorts due to his circumstances. I’ll rush his grading and if all turns out well, we can take his attention away from it with his passing grade. Then he’ll be all yours Aizawa.”

“That’s _assuming_ he passes the written.”

“Considering his quick thinking during the practical… I don’t think that will be _too_ much of a concern.” Nezu chuckled knowingly, sending a shiver up the two humans’ spines. Fishing a device from his trousers, he pressed his paw down on the miniature red button, the panel against the wall opening in response. Nezu stepped inside before repeating the process and let it shut closed.

All Might stared in abject horror as the highly-intelligent animal disappeared, light scampering echoing in the stunned quiet, “ **He really is in the walls.** ” He muttered.

“It’s nightmare fuel alright.” Aizawa sighed before getting up, “I’d go speak to your detective friend. The sooner we get this sorted the sooner I can get some sleep, I need to go process all this in the meantime.” With that the pro slipped into his sleeping bag, quietly hopping off to a quiet spot.

All Might looked over to the boy’s profile, the soft emerald eyes causing a pang of guilt and regret to shoot through his heart. Taking a steadying breath, he made his way out of the observation room, fishing out his phone and scrolling to Noamasa’s contact information and clicking the call button.

_I do hope I am wrong. For that young man’s sake._

* * *

Izuku stared at the new contact number on his phone, cheeks still very red and heart beating a mile a minute.

_I have a girl’s number! One that isn’t Fetch or my mom too!_ He internally screamed as he stared at the profile image of Uraraka. The memories of the angelic halo resurfacing and leaving his cheeks turning a light pink. The moments after his embarrassing smoke-screen had mostly been him apologizing and the girl in question laughing herself silly, a number of the crowd that had gathered imitating her reaction. He smiled at the thought that he may have made a new friend.

Their quiet talk on the bus back allowed his earlier embarrassment to fade, the two instead laughing at the situation as Izuku’s stutter gradually lessened while the conversation grew.

_Definitely one way to distract everyone from the fact that I was nearly naked though._ The quiet grinding of the rail wheels against the track alerted to him to his stop. Quickly pocketing his phone, he grabbed his bag and stepped out into the cool air.

* * *

The bell rang as he stepped into the familiar electronics store, the ‘be back in 10 minutes’ sign clanking against the glass as he shut it behind him. The air was eerily quiet aside from the hustle and bustle of the outside world leaking through.

_Must be in the back._ Izuku slung his bag off his shoulders as trudged further into the shop’s interior, the knockback of his earlier spectacle finally hitting him, his movements feeling slower since he parted from Uraraka at the front gates. _I’m gonna need a bonfire and power nap when I get home._

Faint chatter echoed from inside the workshop, as well as the sound of crashing and explosions. Izuku briefly wondered if Eugene was playing or if Fetch found Zeke’s stash and was trying to vaporize the offensive material. _Maybe Cole is trying to fix something again_. Phones and other devices had adapted with the advent of quirks, some having high voltage resistant covers, or heat resistant lining for that specific reason. Yet, for all the wonders that people had come up with to assist electricity quirk users, Cole’s had the unfortunate effect of instantly frying any minor piece of equipment due to the sheer amount of power he put out.

_I wonder how much he actually has?_

He stored that question for later, _probably enough to take down a zero-pointer considering his basic attacks_ , his quirk-obsessed mind quickly supplied. He entered the back workshop to the sight of all his friends sitting quietly, the final moments of his exam playing on repeat on the screen they had installed for testing consoles and other machines. He watched as his past-self transformed into three pillars of smoke and shot into the air, the faces of the people in view mimicked that of his as he got a full view of himself punching through the head of the zero-pointer. Bewildered and wide-eyed.

“Holy crap…” Four pairs of eyes snapped to his form standing in the door way, his muttering breaking them out of their momentary disbelief.

“Holy crap…” the group mimicked.

* * *

“So, you have no idea how you did that?” Cole asked as he took a seat on the work bench, Eugene busy playing behind him as his friends occupied the couch. The earlier excitement dying down and letting them analyze it all normally.

“I barely remember most of it. I’m seeing a lot of this for the first time.” Izuku replied absent-mindedly as he took in the event on the TV, letting the video fill in the blanks as the scene played out. “I know I ran to try and help, but that’s where it gets hazy. I remember flying, then falling, but the next the thing I knew; I was in the middle of that thing. Think I blacked out afterwards. So yeah, I have no idea how I was able to do that.”

“You have most of his powers, only makes sense you’d get Orbital Drop.” Eugene chimed in, briefly popping out from his computer.

“Orbital Drop?” Izuku’s attention was drawn from the TV.

“It’s what Del called it. He’d dash up really high, then kind of shoot himself down and blow up.” Zeke said, shoveling down another handful of popcorn as he enjoyed the entertainment. “Caused a crap ton o’ damage, should’ve seen what he did to the space needle back in Seattle.”

“I guess you’d say it was his ‘ultimate move’. Honestly, I think he just liked showing off.” Fetch huffed, silently snatching the bucket out of Zeke’s hands

“Hey!” Zeke whines sending her a glare, “Coming from the lady who likes to make singularities every time we enter a goddamn warehouse.”

“It works doesn’t it.” She matched his glare.

Izuku could see his eyebrow twitch underneath his glasses. “Yeah, especially when I’m standing right next to it.”

Her eyes widened in realization, nearly choking on the popcorn in her mouth. She gripped the popcorn bucket as she hunched over laughing, “Oh shit, I nearly forgot about that. Eugene had to spear you out of there.”

“And then left me dangling off the wall ‘til my shirt tore.” Zeke grumbled, memories of being pinned several meters in the air by a spear of pixels doing nothing to improve his mood.

“It was that or be squished into a ball with 8 other villains, you should be thanking me.” Eugene’s voice echoed from the laptop.

Cole, deciding Zeke had had enough, quickly cleared his throat, only partially to hide his snickering, “A-anyway, getting off topic. Del always used to say his abilities required a feeling. Do you remember anything like that before it happened?”

Izuku gripped his chin as the thought over the moments prior, “I had this buzzing in my chest a few minutes before, and then when the zero-pointer showed up I couldn’t move. I kept trying but my feet weren’t really responding.” His gaze shifted over the head of auburn as Uraraka puller herself from the rubble, “Until I saw _her_ , then it was like I couldn’t stop.” Izuku let his hand drop as he stared into his palm, “I wasn’t in control, not fully, it was like my brain was on auto-pilot. But I do remember that buzzing coming back right before the gaps started.”

“You weren’t in control?”

Izuku shrugged, “Not… really? It was more like I couldn’t stop it.” He snapped his fingers as the answered formed, “Like a natural reaction; like flinching when a loud noise goes off.”

Zeke burst into laughter, “So your natural instinct when a giant robot levels an entire city block: Is to run towards it?”

Izuku stuttered, Zeke’s teasing ringing true as he thought over the sheer damage the monster had caused. His actions seeming less and less heroic, now more and more irresponsible, “I-I-I g-guess.” He laughed bashfully.

Cole lent over the back of the couch, bonking Zeke on his head due to his thoughtless outburst before shifting his focus back to Izuku, “If running to help someone is your natural instinct, then I see no problem with rushing into danger if it means you save someone else. Right Zeke?”

Zeke straightened up as the rhetorical question landed, Cole’s tone leaving no room for debate, “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with helping the lady out, just…” he cleared his throat as the air became more electrical, “Nice one kid. You looked pretty badass in the video too.”

Cole scratched the back of his head as thought over Izuku’s description, his point having finally been acknowledged, “Now, we can’t exactly practice you nuking a small area without drawing attention, so that you’re gonna have to figure out when you get to UA. But maybe we can try and figure out the trigger for that buzzing feeling of yours. We’ll use the video as well, maybe we can figure it out from there.” He finished, patting Izuku on the shoulder as he made his way back over to Eugene.

“T-thanks… wait.” Izuku’s eye’s snapped open as a question of concern was brought to his attention. He watched his moments from the exam play on _their_ TV. “H-how did you guys even get this v-video? They don’t release it to the public.” He looked to Cole who whistled innocently, Zeke shoving another handful of popcorn in his mouth next to him.

“Eugene got access to UA’s storage servers.” Fetch mumbled off to the side.

Cole face-palmed. “So much for plausible deniability.”

Izuku stared in disbelief at the computer screen laying a top the center bench. “You _hacked_ into _UA_.”

“Kicked their firewalls ass too.” Eugene’s head popped out once more, “They made me work for it if that makes you feel any better. I had to use level 15 demons for it.”

Izuku held his head in his hands as he stifled a groan, “I really hope whoever does their security is an idiot.”

* * *

Nezu watched as his colleague stiffened, hands gripping into a fist. “Is there a problem Power-Loader?”

The digging hero held his posture for a few seconds longer before relaxing, “Just felt like punching something.”

_Something green._

“Don’t tell me the support course exam was that stressful, from what I saw you have some remarkable potential coming in.” The principal hummed quietly, taking another sip of tea as he continued grading.

“Tell that to the door I have to replace.” He shuddered as the maniacal laughter of a pink-haired girl rang through his mind.

* * *

“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Zeke said as he grabbed another mouthful.

“Speaking of fine.” Fetch adopted a smirk as she attempted to change the subject, her eye’s gleaming with mischievousness and a new way to torture the teenager. “Who’s the girl? You interested in her?” She gestured to the flying form of Uraraka intercepting him during his blackout-induced fall. “Because she looks… damn.” Fetch let her smirk disappear as Izuku’s face went red, his eyes were glued to the form of the mystery girl as they descended to the street below as he flapped his mouth open and closed – his muscles trying to fulfill their last order as his brain stuttered.

“S-she’s… umm… I-I-I… w-we’re j-j-just.” Memories of her angelic face and the confidence she radiated in that moment sending his mind into a spiral. All sound from him stopped as smoke started to pour of it his ears.

“I think you broke him.” Zeke poked his cheek while swatting away the cloud of green and black as Izuku’s mind tried desperately to reboot.

Fetch pointed to scene of the shorter woman carrying the large man as if he weighed nothing. “I think that was all her.”

“Kid needs to black out more often if it’s gonna lead to this.” Zeke laughed as Izuku’s face twitched, eyes still firmly glued to the screen.

And then he remembered.

_My black out. The guy in the suit!_

His brain kicked back into gear, the memories of his blackout being pulled to the fore front while his embarrassment was momentarily shoved to the side, “I think I saw who killed Delsin!” He blurted out before he could think about it.

…

Zeke choked on his food as Fetch stared into nothing with barely restrained rage, magenta slowly starting to eclipse her normal eye colour. Izuku’s hairs stood on end as some of Cole’s quirk leaked through, Eugene not even caring that his screen was starting to tear as small arcs of electricity struck the rim.

Izuku felt the sudden urge to shrink into himself as the vengeful gaze of Fetch settled onto him, the fact that none of it was directed towards him did nothing to alleviate the restrictive feeling. He had seen the gift that she wielded first hand; the speed, strength, and raw fire-power Fetch had access to could level entire buildings; yet this aura alone felt as though it would it do just the same with nothing but a glare.

“Who!” Fetch nearly-screamed out as she desperately restrained her temper, though the single word alone held the promise of indescribable pain as power leaked from her irises.

Cole tensed as he readied himself to step in. Zeke’s hand quickly shot up, gesturing for his friend to calm down as he moved towards Fetch.

“Fetch,” Zeke quietly warned her, now kneeling next to her in an attempt to soothe her anger. “Wrong target.” Their eyes made contact and she breathed deep as the concerned look on Zeke’s face calmed her inner beast for a moment, neon receding as she let the air escape.

“Sorry.” She muttered.

Izuku felt a familiar sense of guilt build-up as he watched Fetch struggle with the pain of loss and anger all over again, the day she gave him Delsins chain acted as a reference point for him to gauge how she was handling it. It wasn’t great, and that hurt him more than he thought it would. “I-I’m sorry, I-I d-didn’t mean to b-be a p-problem.” His voice was barely audible, anxiety and concern preventing him from going further as his mind turned the blame inwards.

Cole’s hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed gently, bringing the boys focus to him and acting as a grounding rod. “What did you see?” There was no urgency to his words, but instead the kind of warmth and understanding that he had only seen once before. Only this time there was no dingy alley, bullies or confused emotions; just friends. It registered a moment later, the voice slowly ebbing away as the concern and care in Cole’s eyes took over.

_Friends_.

“I-I…” he swallowed hard, the cold biting in his chest slowly receding as his anxiety finally gave way, “I-I didn’t s-see a f-face, just his q-quirk. I-It looked like spikes; except they were… jagged? They were black and r-red, and I… Delsin, couldn’t move. Like they were paralyzing him.” He paused as Eugene’s fingers typed faster than he could write, clacking and clicking echoing out as the others waited for him to continue. “A-ah, there was medical equipment everywhere… a-and he was wearing a suit. That’s all I-I remember, sorry.”

“I’ll run through the quirk registration servers and try to find someone who matches.” Eugene announced as he got to work.

Cole gave a quick nod towards Zeke before turning towards the resident computer expert, but not before giving one last comforting squeeze to Izuku’s shoulders.

Zeke moved over to Izuku, patting his leg in reassurance as Cole made his way to Eugene, who was currently engrossed in his search for an answer. _A distraction_ , he thought to himself. A way to ignore what he was feeling.

_And I’m analyzing._

“That’s a hell of a lot more than we had a minute ago green-bean,” Zeke reaffirmed from his kneeling position. If Izuku could see past his tinted rims he was sure he’d see red veins branching out over the older man’s eyes. “…and I doubt there are many folks out there with a quirk like the one you just gave us. You did good.”

Izuku nodded once. He slowly looked over to Fetch; her eyes were filled with so many emotions he couldn’t exactly figure out which one was leading the charge, “A-are you ok?” he questioned. It held the hope for more than just a single response, but he needed to be slow, he had just reopened wounds that she wasn’t ready to stitch back together.

Not yet.

She was silent for a few moments longer before the question really registered, the hidden meaning behind it visible to her as she looked into his eyes. She shifted slightly, subtly pulling her jacket around her bunched-up legs. A tick, he recognized; a coping mechanism. Whether she was using it to hide herself or simply give comfort as she thought of an answer evaded him. Regardless she let her head rest on her knees as she exhaled her frustration.

“I’ll be ok.” She finally settled on, the small traces of a smile forming as he she turned to him. Izuku nodded wordlessly as she pushed off the couch and made her way downstairs.

Zeke breathed out loudly as he watched her descend into safety, “She’s never been particularly good with her emotions. She’s just trying not to let it all burst out, just give her a bit and she’ll be alright.”

Izuku smiled softly as he mulled over her answer. His brain had gone into analysis mode almost immediately as his anxiety hit him. It always came with that cold biting feeling and cutting off everything and turning his mind to its analytical side distracted him from it, regardless if the worry may have been lessened by his friend’s words it was still there. Not that he didn’t believe them, he just couldn’t help it. But there was one thing that was allowing it to be shoved aside for now.

He stared at the empty stair case. What Fetch had said; it wasn’t a lie.

“I know.” He finally replied.

* * *

“So, what now?” The teen questioned, curiosity getting the better of him as he inquired into what they would do with this information.

_Another distraction._

Cole made his way back to the couch, clearly sensing the underlying agenda, “Now you go home. It’s been a long day and you need to rest. Besides; I can already tell the wait over the next few weeks is gonna drain you enough.” Cole stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. This was their crusade and they weren’t gonna drag him into it, regardless of how much he wanted to help. “And we’re gonna have our hands full enough as is, I can’t juggle kicking your ass and this at once.” He smirked as he steered the mood into lighter territory.

Cole’s attempt to ease the tension seemed to work as Izuku guffawed at his response, “Fair enough, my mom’s probably waiting for me as well.” His laugh turning nervous as the implications of his extended detour finally gained their true weight.

Zeke felt himself sweat-drop as the teen began to sweat, “You didn’t tell her you were coming to see us, did you?”

“A-a-ah….” He coughed sharply, straightening up while still trying to remain small, “…no comment” He mumbled to himself sheepishly.

Zeke face-palmed loud enough that Eugene looked up from his computer. “I suggest you get going before she grounds you. We’ll go over the video another time.” Cole laughed, throwing Izuku his bag before opening the door for him, his intention for the emerald-kid to make a speedy exit before he brought the wrath of an aggravated mother down upon them very clear.

“Are you sure you don’t-” Cole’s glare shut him up quickly, the teen instead throwing his bag on and fast-walking out before his teacher carved out time for another ‘lesson’. “I’ll see you guys.” He called as passed through the front of the shop.

* * *

Cole stared at the retreating backpack with a fond smile, “How that woman hasn’t put a tracker on him yet confuses me.”

Zeke scoffed playfully, the kid’s antics turning comical as he thought over it. “You’re just overly worried about him.”

“You aren’t?” Cole asked.

“Oh no, he’s a trouble magnet alright. But then again, we both know who’s powers he running around with.” His friend smirked before nodding towards Eugene, “Come on…” he cracked his knuckles, “…we got asses to kick.”

The electricity-wielder stared at the paused image of Izuku and the mystery girl, both smiling innocently at one another as she tried to help him off the ground. In the back of his mind he replaced brown with magenta and green with that damn beanie.

_Never again._

Cole’s eye sparked blue as he faced Zeke. “That we do.”

* * *

Ochako dropped her bag against the wall before changing into her nightwear, the takeout smell still wafting through from the barren kitchen area. She threw on her 13-top, enjoying the freedom the over-sized shirt provided while she slipped on her mitts as the gravity-girl trudged towards her futon, flopping down as exhaustion took over. The few covers she had cushioned her fall. She was too tired to spin onto her back, instead compromising with tugging the sheets out from underneath her and snuggling into the warmth as she let her mind settle.

The stress of today eased out slowly, her back muscles loosening as she stretched her legs, pulling into a ball as memories of the giant of a machine resurfaced. The monster towering over her as she was trapped, desperately fighting against the boulder that had her pinned. Yet as she assessed her own emotions; she found no fear.

Instead, emerald eyes came into view inside of her dreamscape. A sense of comfort being carried along with them, one that she did her best to return as she threw herself through the air to catch him. A content smile grew at the memory of her holding him as they descended to the street, and a warmer buzz sprang to life as she remembered holding him mere moments after he had detonated atop the zero-pointer.

A physical buzz snapped her out of her semi-slumber recap, her phone blinking on the floor beside her as it illuminated the bare room.

Using what energy she had left she brought the phone closer, wincing as the harsh light shone into her eyes.

_I should have turned the brightness down._

After giving her eyes a few moments to adjust she scanned over the message and smiled softly at the message from her parents. Words of encouragement and love, as well as expressing how they missed her. She was tempted to phone back, but the hour and her mental state prevented such actions. She instead resorted to a goodnight message and plenty of ‘I love you’ texts.

For her parents, she would give them the world. After everything they had gone through over the years, the struggles of work, scraping and pinching for every little bit they could; they deserved a better life. And she was gonna fight to give it to them.

Her memory was cast back to the exam once again. She knew she wasn’t doing the best, and near the halfway mark she had only just broken 10 points. But _he_ came to help her. Not _save her_ , just help. He saw a way for her to improve and he didn’t hesitate to jump in and show her. And because of it she felt just a little bit better about her chances. She really needed to thank if she ever saw him again.

Her phone buzzed a second time, a string of numbers as the identifier for the unknown contact. Staring at the notification she wondered if her parents had gotten a new work phone. Clicking on it she was surprised to see a familiar head of green hair occupying the profile image.

_I forgot I gave him my number._

Her chest grew slightly warm as she read over the message, chuckling to herself as his slight stutter carried over to text. It amazed her how he went from confident and having no hesitation while in a fight, to a stuttering, socially awkward mess as soon as it all died down.

**xxx-xxx-xxxx** : H-hello Uraraka, its M-midoriya Izuku. I’m s-sorry if this is a bad t-time, but I just w-wanted to say thank you. For saving me. You were r-really amazing. I m-mean what you d-did was amazing, not t-that you aren’t amazing, I just meant it was really amazing how you flew through the air a-and managed to catch me and t-then get us back to ground and… umm… t-thanks. Sorry if I bothered you and sleep well. Hopefully I’ll see you at UA. I mean, I-I’m sure you’ll get in, y-you were great, I have no doubt you got in. Bye.

She nearly burst out laughing as he rambled on, blushing slightly as he praised her actions as if he hadn’t taken on a behemoth to help her. She quickly added his contact and typed up her response.

**Ochako Uraraka** : Hi Midoriya. I appreciate the praise, but you did just as much as me. You took down a ZERO-POINTER to help me, and that’s not mentioning the bat idea. I never got to really say it; but thank you. I don’t think I would have gotten as far as I did if you hadn’t helped. So, I think your amazing too and I _know_ I’ll see you at UA. Sleep well and let me know when you get your results.

Clicking send, she put her phone aside and curled up in her bed, letting warmth and comfort take over once again.

She didn’t even notice the massive smile she fell asleep with. Not that she would have cared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: "How far would you go..." with Tsukauchi Naomasa
> 
> So remember when I said this probably wasn't going to be as long, guess I was wrong.
> 
> I had fun writing a lot of this. If my calculations are correct (which they so often aren't) one more chapter before we hit class time and finish with the examination arc. I'm excited.
> 
> see ya.


	12. How Far Would You Go...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A decision, a freak-out, an interview, and confusion.

Tsukauchi stared at the profile that currently occupied his computer screen as he massaged his forehead, attempting to soothe the headache that had formed days ago. He stared into the green eyes of Izuku as his mind raced a mile-a-minute, trying desperately to find a way out of this situation. At this rate he was sure he had grey hairs forming at the roots of his scalp, the stress and sheer anxiousness that had engulfed him felt like it was adding years every time he thought of the coming interrogation.

And it was just that; an interrogation. One he was to be a key part of.

They were going to pull him into a room, a teenager, and try and determine who he truly was. To find out if he was working with the one… _monster_ , that the number 1 hero actually feared. To find out the truth behind his powers. And they had asked _him_ , out everyone, to tell them if he was lying. To choose between lying for a kid who had done _nothing_ wrong, or telling the truth to someone who he considered one of his closest friends. He understood why it had to be him: truth telling quirk, prior knowledge of All for One, and if the kid turned out to be a vigilante; who better to bring him in then the guy who actively ‘disapproved’ of vigilantes. Considering his quirk, he sure lied a lot.

“The fuck am I going to do.” The detective muttered as let out a harsh breath of air.

“Something the matter?” A stoic voice snapped him out of his spiraling. He looked up to the detective sitting opposite of his desk, Nakano Noritaka, a skinny man whose voice more than compensated for his shorter stature. His quirk allowing him to change the tone in an instant, handy for interrogations or undercover work.

“No, I’m alright.” He quickly answered.

Nakano laughed, his deep voice carrying across most of the open floor, “Now I don’t even need your quirk to know that’s a lie.” His gaze softened, “If it’s about the American case, I’m still willing to help, you don’t have to work this alone. Even if it has nearly been a year.”

Tsukauchi chuckled; Nakano had a voice that could send you cowering with its weight, yet he was still one of the most generous people in his department. “It’s not that… not entirely anyway.” He huffed, leaning forward and scratching his scalp. _Maybe venting a little bit will help._ “I’m doing this favor for a friend, and it’s turning out to be a headache.” Tsukauchi finished, leaning back in his chair and cringing as the bolts creaked.

Nakano mimicked Tsukauchi’s posture, leaning back and crossing his arms as he nodded slowly, “I take it it’s private?” he assumed, receiving a nod in reply, “Well then, can I ask the nature of your dilemma?”

Tsukauchi took a sip of his coffee as thought over his answer, “I have one person I’m trying to protect, and on the other side, I have a close friend who is unknowingly going to put the person I’m trying to keep safe at risk.”

“Did the person you are trying to protect do anything wrong?”

Tsukauchi shook his head, “No, neither of them has, honestly it’s just one big miscommunication. But talking about it is just gonna cause problems for both sides.”

Nakano clicked his tongue in understanding, “I understand.”

“You do?” Tsukauchi quirked an eye brow.

“Yeah.” Nakano locked eyes with Tsukauchi, trying to give him the truth-telling detective the most comforting smile he could, “Relationship troubles, right?”

Tsukauchi blinked rapidly as his brain processed the other detective’s words. “A-ah… I-I… y-yeah?” it was more of a question than him agreeing. He quickly cleared his throat, “I mean yeah. That.” He nodded robotically. _Rather than what it actually is._

“Then in my honest opinion; ask yourself who has more to lose.” He tapped his pen on the table as he finished his words of wisdom, moving back to the paper work in front of him. “My offer still stands with the American by the way.”

Tsukauchi was too lost in thought to hear his fellow officers last words, instead he was staring at the image of the innocent teenager in front of him. _Who has more to lose?_ The question rang out through his head as he weighed his options.

Either he tells the truth; inform UA that he gained his powers from a known vigilante, befriended and trained with the group said vigilante belonged too, and in doing so open up the can of worms of 6 years ago and possibly destroy the future of the one of the kindest and most heroic kids he had ever met.

Or.

Lie. Lie to someone who trusted him with his deepest secrets, protect a group of vigilantes, break the law, risk the trust of UA and the number 1 himself. All to ensure the future of-

He chuckled as he clicked his tongue, the answer presenting itself before he had even finished.

_This is so going to bite me in the ass._

He shut off his computer, grabbing his coat and hat as he pulled out his phone. Scrolling to his name, clicked on the bare profile image of All Might, climbing into his car as the patiently waited for the click.

**[Tsukauchi!]** The booming voice of his friend echoed out, causing Tsukauchi to wince as his ears began to ring. **[What can I do for you? Are you able to make the umm, _meeting_?]** He asked the last question in a more hushed tone, as hushed as could be considered for the giant.

Tsukauchi breathed in deep as he steeled his nerves, “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

* * *

“They know!” Izuku screeched as he burst into the workshop, Zeke falling over the stool he was sitting on as he whipped out his pistol due to the sudden noise. Eugene summoned two angels and Fetch let loose an energy blast straight towards Izuku. The green teen ducked as the attack smacked in the metal door, a sizable dent forming as Cole burst out from the basement, Amp at the ready and electricity sparking off of him.

“Why do you always shoot?!” Izuku yelled at the glowing form of Fetch.

“Why the fuck are you screaming you goddamn banshee!?” She retorted.

“Because they know!”

“Who knows?!” Cole asked, electricity receding as he waved down his friends.

Izuku pulled himself off the floor, panting and sweating profusely from his sprint over to the shop. “UA. They know.”

The room froze, “Know what? Exactly?” Eugene asked cautiously as he prepared to wipe his hard drive.

“Yeah, you kinda skipped the part of explaining what the problem is and went straight to meltdown.” Zeke grunted as he holstered his gun and sat back down.

Izuku steadied his breathing, his heart racing as his anxiety tore apart any hopeful thought. “My mom got a call from UA this morning. They want me to come in on Friday for an ‘interview’.” He managed to avoid any questions from his mother after she had informed him by using an arbitrary excuse as he legged it over. His mental state had been growing worse and worse as his worries over took everything else, filling in every avenue of thought with an equally worse scenario for what was to come.

Zeke laughed nervously, “Maybe it is _just_ an interview?” He shrugged, not believing a single bit of his own words.

“They never do interviews; they have to know about the break in.” Izuku’s eyes were erratic as he scanned over each person, “They probably also figured out my powers; they look exactly like Delsins, someone was bound to make a connection eventually. They probably are going to arrest me as soon as I step through those doors.” He was spiraling and he knew it.

“Oh god we’re fucked.” Fetch fell back onto the couch and curled up into her jacket. “We’re gonna have to move countries again.”

“I hear Russia’s nice this time of year.” Eugene noted as he wiped his computer, making his way downstairs to destroy his backups.

A harsh metal pang ran throughout the room, everybody cringing or wincing as it reverberated through their ears. Izuku turned to Cole, his Amp rest on top of the railing surrounding the staircase as he stared the whole room down.

“We are not moving countries. And you-” He pointed a finger towards Izuku, “You need to calm down, kid. There is no way they could even begin to connect the server break in to you, Eugene can’t leave behind tracks considering his demons wipe the connection, and even then, they would only get a location – not a list of names. _AND_ … it’s not uncommon for people to have similar quirks. There are plenty of people with electricity powers out there, and of the billions of people on earth, I’d imagine more than one person can use smoke.” He leveled a stern look at the viridescent teen who seemed to calming slightly under the near-parental gaze.

“But-” Whatever reason he was about to ramble out was quickly cut off by a simple glare, the electricity user allowing a small bit of his power to leak and cause everyone’s hair to stand on end.

Izuku hung his head down, the puppy-like look of guilt on the muscular body not fitting quite right in Cole’s mind, “S-sorry, I g-guess its d-does sound k-kinda stupid when you put it like that.” He scratched the back of his head as he gazed at his shoes, his earlier freak out flipping on its head due to the injection of reason into his mind. “Sorry.”

Cole nodded before turning towards the sheepish-looking Eugene, and irritated-looking Fetch who was burning a hole into head of smoke-user. “What happened to faith in your own work?”

“Sorry. Guess I didn’t really help there.” The gamer laughed nervously as he backed away from the stairs.

“Fetch.” The stern voice causing her sit up straighter and face Cole. Their gazes met and locked as she did her best to hold her position. Cole crossed his arms and she broke, his ‘disappointed father’ act causing her to huff to the side, “Alright, sorry for shooting you, and freaking out. Though next time don’t burst in here, dumbass! Thought you would ‘a learned from what happened with badge.” She snapped at the teen standing in the door way, giving him a pointed glare.

Izuku chuckled softly, combing a hand through his shaggy hair, “I accept that.” He muttered.

Lastly Cole turned towards the form of his best friend, his parental aura switching to that of exasperation, “What!?” Zeke asked as felt the pressure land on him.

“You couldn’t have tried to sound more convincing?” He asked incredulously.

Zeke huffed, “Man, when a kid runs in here shouting: ‘They know’, while you’re enjoying some down time, after having spent the last few days hunting down a ghost as a _vigilante_! It tends to catch you buy surprise.” He threw his hands up in the air as he slumped further back into the stool, the exhaustion of the past week catching up to him faster than it had previously.

“You want a beer?”

…

“Yes please.”

“Alright then, when I get back, we’ll get you ready for this thing, alright kid?” He looked over to Izuku who gave him an affirmative nod, though not without a hint of hesitation. Satisfied for now, Cole descended into the lower basement.

…

“Ah dammit!” Eugene cried as he banged his forehead against the table, his laptop rattling and a number of parts falling off due to the force.

“What’s wrong now?!” Fetch groaned as she flopped back onto the couch.

He looked up as a tear fell, leaving a painted streak across his cheek. “I deleted the save files for my game.”

All three sweat-dropped, “Really?” they said in unison.

* * *

Izuku breathed in deep as he stared at the towering gates of UA once more, the imposing figure only worsening as the weight of his situation seemed to enlarge the shadow over him. The week had flown by and simultaneously dragged as he waited in anticipation for this ‘interview’, if that is what it truly was anyway. His meeting with his friends earlier in the week had alleviated some of the stress, reassurances and planning for any question pertaining to them having been run through a dozen times, and a thousand times more in his head. But it all still felt like it was going to suffocate him as soon as he stepped through those doors for the second time in the past week.

Shutting his eyes as he felt the edge of the never-ending spiral get closer, he breathed in deep and let his thoughts settle. _Just remember what Cole said, no full names, and try to stick as close to the truth as possible._ He gazed back up the seemingly smaller front doors. _It’s just an interview, leave the emotions at the door, try not to cry._

A warm hand brought him out of his thoughts, the comforting gaze of his mother looking up to him bringing him back to reality. “It’s gonna be ok, just be yourself and I’m sure you’ll be fine. If you were half as good as I know you are with quirks, I’m sure talking about your own would be a breeze.” She smiled, the maternal comfort easing that last little bit of fear into the back corners of his mind.

He smiled back, “Thanks, mom.”

She nodded, “Now come on, we don’t want to keep them waiting.” She started towards the front gate as Present Mic stepped into view.

Izuku did his best to restrain himself at the sight of the voice hero. “Good to see you again listener!” His voice boomed out just an octave below a full-blown shout as he handed them their visitor passes. “You’ll need to keep these on you ‘til you leave, other than that I’ll take you to your first interview!” He winked as he led them through the front doors.

“Izuku…” his mother whispered as they were led through the halls of the prestigious school, “…that’s the hero you listen to every day, right?”

Evidently her whisper was not low enough, “Oh, I got a fan!” The blonde-hero grinned as he looked over his shoulder towards the pair.

Izuku’s face burned red as his mother giggled to the side, “W-w-well, y-yeah, I-I…” he spluttered out as he tried to think of something to say.

His mother gained a devious smirk as she watched her son fumble his words, “Oh, every day. He even uses your brand of headphones for it.” Izuku stared at his mother with a look of deep betrayal, his fanboy obsession being exposed directly to one of the heroes he worshipped.

“Oh Yeah! You really are a listener!” The pro grinned, his ego sky-rocketing under the indirect praise. “I’d be more than happy to sign ‘em for you!”

Izuku stopped in his tracks as they finished ascending another flight of stairs, the view from the large glass panes revealing all of the surrounding area. “Really?!” he blurted out in response to the amazing offer, momentarily forgetting about the embarrassing situation.

Mic spun around and gave the teen a thumbs up, “Anything for a fan!”

Izuku’s eyes shone in awe before they locked into ones of determination, determination so strong that Present Mic nearly stuttered under the aura. Whatever it was he had decided was burning so strong that even his mother had noticed, “Izuku, is everything alright?” He locked eyes with her, doing his best to convey his request without words.

Inko, seemingly understanding her son, nodded with a gentle smile. Izuku spun back around and faced the pro who nearly jumped at the look the teens currently held, his height and large stature only further enforcing the pressure that Mic felt fall upon him.

And then the aura disappeared, and its stead a notebook and pen were shoved into his face. Mic blinked as the worn and charred book filled his view. He blinked even harder as he realized the kid didn’t have a bag.

_What in the world._

“C-could I t-trade it… f-for an a-a-autograph here please.” The suffocating confidence was entirely gone as a sheepish smile over took him, a tinge of red occupying his cheeks.

The sudden change completely knocked Mic out of his persona, leaving the hero stuttering slightly as he gripped the pen and booklet, his hand working on autopilot as his mind tried to make sense of the sudden shift. “A-ah, sure thing.”

Still slightly dazed he returned the book, Izuku staring in awe at the signature as an all-to-innocent grin nearly split his face, “awesome” he muttered before returning the notebook to-

Mic nearly fell over as the book disappeared into nothing. He quickly turned to the teens mother, desperately looking for an answer and only finding a kind and understanding smile that screamed at him to ignore the situation for sanities sake. “R-right, ah, let’s get going.” He robotically turned around and continued down the hallway, Izuku and Inko following behind with content smiles.

* * *

Tsukauchi was felt uncomfortable in more ways than one as he stared through glass pane into the interview room, patiently waiting for Izuku to arrive. The darkened room and tinted window reminded him of dozens of police interrogations he had sat in, accusations and panic always accompanying them as officers of the law did their best to dispense justice and gain the _truth_. It only worsened the hollow pit that had formed. The idea of what the teen was to be unknowingly subjected to not sitting right with him, even if he had already committed to his plan, it did nothing to alleviate the tension.

“ **Are you ready my friend?** ” All Might asked as he took a seat next to the detective, one he had come to consider one of his closest friends over the years, going so far as to reveal his secrets and vulnerabilities.

The harsh stab of guilt shot through him. _“Ask yourself who has more to lose.”_ The words brought him back to focus, allowing him to concentrate and ignore the words of betrayal that rang around in the back of his head.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Still, I find it difficult to imagine a teenager possibly working with a demon like _him_.” _True._ The words of his mind rang through. Over the years he had learned to largely ignore them when in a friendly conversation, the detector merely an echo in the back of his mind. But today every statement was like an alarm in his ears. He assumed it was the anxiety of it all; his quirk protesting at his decision to lie, defying his nature.

“ **I do to.** ” _True._ The somber tone never fit Toshinori, even more so know – there was something else hidden underneath it, he just didn’t know what. “ **But I must be ready, should _he_ be alive, then there is no telling what powers this boy truly has. Or what actions he will take should we discover it.**” His voice grew more determined, his hero persona leaking through as he steeled himself.

Tsukauchi nodded slowly as another question began to bug him, “You never did tell me how you knew he was quirkless before?” he questioned, curious as to how he knew Izuku, and if it would affect this situation.

Toshinori tensed, his lightning blue eyes dimming as something overtook him, “I… I met him- “

He never finished as the door flew open, Tsukauchi watching Eraser head and Principal Nezu enter the hidden room, the latter currently nestled within the scarf of the tired pro. “Another time…” The old pro said to him before turning to the new arrivals.

“Are we all ready?” The chipper voice of the highly intelligent creature questioned the two, both giving quick nods in confirmation.

“Good, Mic just met them at the entrance, so they should be here in a few minutes.” Aizawa stated as shoved his hand into his pockets, “We’ll avoid any direct questions relating to All for One as best we can but we do need to get the info out of him, so if the name is mentioned don’t be surprised, but we’ll make sure to avoid any info about stealing quirks. If he turns out to be involved with him, All Might will burst through the window, we can’t afford to give him a second to make a move and that can be replaced easy enough. Should he be clear of that possibility, we’ll turn to the vigilante questions next. Same procedure if he turns out to be The Smoker.”

All Might furrowed his eye-brows, “ **I still don’t believe he is a vigilante. I met him when he was quirkless.** ”

“Confirmation is better than here-say, for all we know he was dissuading any suspicion. We just need to make sure.” Aizawa retorted. “We cover _all_ our bases.”

Nezu grinned, the cogs and gears turning at lightspeed as his mind made sure to check through every possible situation. “And should he be cleared of _all_ possibilities; I will put out some further questions to steer away if the subject becomes too obvious and conclude shortly after.”

“Alright then.” Tsukauchi nodded as he let it all sink in. He snuffed out any lingering guilt as he prepared himself, he could have no doubts now, he made his decision and now he had to see it through. All Might had already brought up the fact that the vigilante angle didn’t work out, but Aizawa being the paranoid insomniac he was couldn’t let it go, but he did feel slightly better about it. The real concern for the group was All for One, a fact that he wished he could simply prove false but that would only arouse further questions.

So, for now he would just bare through it.

All Might turned to his friend, his sunken eyes blazing with righteous fire, “ **Then let’s get to it.** ”

* * *

Izuku felt his chest tighten and his heart race as he stared at the door of the interviewing room. Despite all the words of encouragement and affirmation that this was nothing more than an interview by his friends, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The hairs on his body had been standing on end ever since his mother had left to wait with Present Mic, a nagging feeling in the dark recesses of his mind screamed that he was missing something, something very important. But he ignored them; now wasn’t the time for paranoia or his over active mind, he needed to focus. He couldn’t let anything slip.

Gripping the door with shaking hands, he felt the icy-metal slightly give way under the nervous pressure, blinking in surprise as a slight crunch squeaked out. He stared down to the handle, the metal was warped and disformed, indents from his fingers lacing around the circumference.

_Oops._

Loosening his grip, he shut his eyes and focused on his breathing, repeating the words Cole had drilled into him. _No names, no locations, and as close to the truth as possible_. His eyes opened, emerald-green solidifying as he twisted the mangled nob.

The door gave way to a mostly grey room – although this time with slightly less property damage – the only change in colour being the metallic table and video-board on the adjacent wall. Two figures filled his vision, one a tall lanky man with dark hair and black body-suit, and looking as though he desperately needed a nap. Izuku felt the nudge of familiarity tug on his memories, his hairs standing on end even more, for a reason he couldn’t place. _Maybe it’s just because he already looks dismissive of me._ The other was significantly shorter, and an animal. The small… rat-bear-dog thing stood next to the tired-man, his head reaching just above his thigh, both hands tucked behind his suit as he scanned over the new person, a terrifyingly intelligent gleam shone in his eyes.

He did his best to repress a shiver.

Izuku shut the door behind him, angling his body to cover the handle, and bowed before the two, “H-hello, I’m Izuku Midoriya.”

The scruffy-looking man seemed to raise an eyebrow at Izuku’s introduction, though quickly returning to his bored look, “I’m Shouta Aizawa, first year homeroom teacher.”

The animal beamed at the teen, his calculating eyes never wavering, “I could be mouse, a dog, or a bear! But what matters is I’m the Principal!”

Izuku could feel the sweat begin to form, his hands clamming up instantly as the severity of the situation became very apparent. Not only did he have _the_ Eraser head – who happened to be a homeroom teacher for his year – standing in front of him, the _PRINCIPAL_ was going to be conducting the interview. The Principal who had an intelligence quirk that left most scientists and media outlets questioning whether _he_ was the next step in evolution.

_Crap!_ He grit his teeth to hide his fear and offered the best smile he could, “I-It is an h-honor to meet you b-both.” _Stop stuttering you idiot!_

He could feel the Principals eyes rip him apart piece by piece, dissecting him like a lab experiment, one he intended to poke and prod, “Nervous, Mr. Midoriya?”

Izuku wasn’t entirely sure it was a question or not, and if the deadly look the chimera’s eyes carried meant anything, he was pretty it was the latter, “N-n-no, I-I m-m-mean… uhh” His brain stuttered, everything locking up as all his fears began to blaze through him. He was going to get caught; the Principal had intentionally put him off guard with his introduction, the question of his nervousness was just another jab to put him back a foot further. All of it was intended to destroy his defenses, and right now they were crumbling rapidly.

_“ **False**.”_ Echoed through the communicators, the small black buds hidden neatly in their ears.

He watched as both of the Pros’ eyes squinted as he fumbled and panicked, their suspicions rising faster he could think of ways to defuse it. He had just stepped through the door and it was over, he screwed himself faster than he thought possible.

_“As close to the truth as possible. Your emotions will come across as more genuine, and you’ll be far more comfortable with recalling details, all you do is just leave out what you don’t want them to hear. Simple as that green-bean.”_ Zeke’s voice washed over his doubts, the memories pulling themselves forward.

Izuku exhaled and loosened his arms, Eraser Head tensing slightly with the sudden posture change, “Y-yeah. J-just, really w-worried I did s-something wrong. UA d-doesn’t hold interviews for p-potential students, at least outside of r-recommendations.” Izuku scratched the back of his head as he let loose a sheepish-chuckle, “P-plus, I did d-destroy your robot when w-we were told to run away.”

_“ **Truth.** ”_

Eraser head quirked an eyebrow at the complete 180, fear and anxiousness turning to anxiousness and innocent awkwardness. Nezu’s features, however, remained unchanged. “So, given the chance, you wouldn’t have destroyed the zero-pointer?” There was an undertone to that question, and Izuku picked it up immediately. Would he still save Uraraka, or would he resist due to the attention it drew?

“D-destroying the r-robot was reckless, I was lucky no one w-was hurt from debris. Plus, t-that was the first time I u-used that move, so I h-had no idea that it w-would actually work to begin with.” His eyes began to blaze as he answered the hidden test Nezu had set for him, “But, I would still do whatever was within my power to save Uraraka, test or not.”

_“ **Truth.** ”_

Eraser head huffed quietly, shifting to a more relaxed pose and shoving his hands in his pockets. _At least he admits it was irrational._ He was never one for super moves, they were always flashy and mostly reserved for day-time heroes to put on a show for the crowds that swarmed to villain fights. In his personal opinion; a fight should never go that far that it would require a hero to pull out all the stops. Granted sometimes it was unavoidable, but in the underground, it wasn’t about being flashy, it was about being effective. So, to hear the teenager admit that it was dangerous and ill-planned, alleviated some of his notions that he was nothing more than an overpowered attention seeker doing a terrible job at blending in.

A little bit anyway.

Nezu’s grin simply widened as the human in front of him became infinitely more complex, his interest was peaking and he would _enjoy_ playing with this one. “Well said, Mr. Midoriya, very perceptive. Now with the pleasantries out of the way-” Turning to Eraser head, he held out his arms and simulated a child asking for a lift, hand outstretched and clenching and unclenching. Aizawa huffed as he bent down to the pick up the chimera, lifting from under his short arms before placing him on the elevated bench, “-please take a seat.” He instructed gleefully as Izuku blinked his stupor away.

“R-right.” The teen circled to the far end of the table, the atmosphere turning formal as Nezu sipped on his tea while looking over a clipboard. _Wait… where did he get the tea?_

Aizawa cleared his throat, leaning forward on both arms and locking eyes with the green-teenager, “You were correct about the strangeness of this interview, however given your… circumstances we were compelled to arrange it.”

Izuku’s breath turned hot, “C-c-circumstances?” he desperately resisted the urge to swallow.

“Yes!” The chipper voice of the principal drew him to the creature, “More specifically, your acquisition of your quirk, and if we need to be concerned or not.”

“A-acquisition?” He was grateful for the air-conditioning as he felt his body warm up, the specific words causing his brain to constantly jump to paranoia before being forced back to calm – it felt like it was being ripped in two.

“You’re a late bloomer, aren’t you? Says in your file that you only acquired it 9 months ago, is that false?” Aizawa squinted ever so slightly, squaring his shoulders and going into interrogation mode. They had agreed to use wording specific to him receiving it from unnatural means, hoping the pressure would create a slip up. All for One was the biggest threat and needed to be addressed first, besides, Nezu already had a rather good notion of the vigilante line Aizawa was pushing.

“It’s not false…”

_“ **Truth.** ”_

“… but it’s n-not accurate.” Izuku chuckled nervously.

_“ **Truth.** ”_

Nezu stopped sipping on his tea, placing the small cup down before clasping his figures and fixating his beady eyes upon his point of interest, “And what do you mean by that? Are you saying these documents are false, or there is something more to you acquiring your quirk?” the principal’s diminutive stature all but disappeared as his intimidating gaze threatened to consume Izuku.

“A-a-ah well…” He looked down towards the silver steel table, his distorted reflection staring back at him as he tried to think of the right words, “i-it’s kind of e-embarrassing.” He chuckled.

Aizawa’s head jerked back at the response, “Embarrassing?” again his nervousness had turned into simple shyness and awkwardness, the erasure hero was beginning to question if this was all an act, or if the smoke-user was simply socially-awkward. But his battle recording showed no signs of hesitation, maybe that was due to prior training and conditioning. But with who?

“I-I… kindaforgottogoregisteritforaboutamonth… so-” He chuckled again nervously, Aizawa trying desperately to make sense of the word vomit that he had just spewed faster than Ingenium could run, his prior train of through derailing under the onslaught.

_“ **T-truth.** ” _The answer came through, though the chuckle behind it was evident.

Nezu on the other hand simply tilted his head, “You forgot to register? So, it should be ten months, that’s all?” Nezu clarified, completely unfazed by the rambling, instead diverting his attention to the strange body language the teen put forward. Withdrawn, he covered it up well with faux-laughter and it was barely noticeable, but the expectation of a scolding was still there. _But why over something so small? Did All for One expect only perfection, or is this also an act?_ Either way this _only_ confirmed he didn’t register when he should have, he still avoided confirming directly that it had _manifested_ ten months ago.

He was either playing a clever game, or he was simply too innocent to think anything of it.

“Y-yeah, I started training ten months ago, and it kinda slipped my m-mind to go register.”

_“ **Truth.** ”_

“And what did this training include?” The chimera quickly shot back, not giving him a moment to think and hoping to put him on the back foot with sudden topic change.

“O-oh, well, I uh, cleaned a beach.”

Nezu cycled through his memories, quickly landing on an article of a mystery man at Dagobah Municipal beach, being seen lugging pieces of trash to a disposal container, “Dagobah, correct?”

Izuku blinked at the mention of the beach, “Uh, yeah, how d-did you know t-that?” He questioned, he didn’t remember being watched, and he was fairly certain Cole would have detected someone spying on them.

_“ **Truth.** ”_

“Ah.” The principal took another sip of his tea, “There was an article of someone cleaning it, considering you live in Musutafu, it was rather easy to connect the dots.”

“There was an a-article?” Izuku raised an eye brow. _Did someone see us?_

“You weren’t aware?” Aizawa asked, another train shutting down at the possibility he did it to simply build his image.

“N-no, I went early in the morning and late in the evening to a-avoid attention.”

_“ **Truth.** ”_

The answer left Aizawa nodding approvingly, either he did this purposely to dissuade suspicions and get time to train himself, or he simply did it to train himself _and_ do community service to boot. Either way, there was a better part of the world thanks to him.

“And why didn’t you want attention?” Nezu inquired.

“W-well…” he tapped his finger on the table as he fidgeted slightly, Nezu growing more excited by the nervousness. His previous assessment of the teen possessing an all-pleasing personality proving correct. This human _was_ fun to mess with. “I-I’m n-not really good in c-crowds right now. A-and I needed somewhere to train my q-q-quirk.” He winced at the last bit of information, hoping they wouldn’t reprimand him.

_“ **Truth.** ”_

“At least it wasn’t populated, though they do have quirk gyms for that you know?” The sleepy-pro scolded him lightly, shoving aside the slight hypocrisy his mind pointed out to him, memories of his younger days where he would test his quirk on others while travelling.

“Y-yeah, sorry sir.” He stared down to his knuckles.

“Back onto the topic of your quirk,” the principal shifted the direction of the conversation once more, “I must say, it draws a striking resemblance to the quirk of a vigilante, The Smoker. Are you familiar with him?” Izuku could have sworn the principal batted his eyelids as he asked the question.

Aizawa stared at the rat next to him with a glaring look, cursing internally as the creature changed the plan in the middle of all of it. He knew Nezu came prepared, but he also knew he could never shy away from a chance at messing with a human either. If he had to guess Midoriya had piqued his interest as soon as he stepped through the doors. He shifted his gaze back over to the green mop of hair. He almost felt sorry for him.

Choosing his next words carefully, Izuku shifted in his seat, “Y-yes, I’m familiar with h-his… exploits.” It took everything in his power not to stutter uncontrollably at the obvious comparison the chimera was making.

_“ **Truth.** ” _Tsukauchi desperately tried to make sure it didn’t sound strained.

“Ah, considering you share the same quirk it should be obvious that you would have at least looked him up.” Nezu stated innocently, “I believe I read an article where he was spotted with another vigilante recently, he had a lightning quirk I believe.”

“It’sElectricityactually…” Izuku almost slammed his hands over his mouth as he auto-corrected the principal’s mistake, _that’s not going to draw attention to you at all, idiot!_

_“ **Truth.** ” _Tsukauchi had to ensure his teeth weren’t scraping as he answered.

Nezu looked even more pleased with himself, “Ah, I take it you read the same article then?” Aizawa wasn’t sure how this would determine if he was a vigilante or not but he simply rolled with it, trying to understand Nezu without more information would an effort in futility, and possibly insanity. _Should read that article though, Nezu probably found it while he was prepping for this._

“A-a-h, yes, he also had a weapon if I remember correctly.” Izuku hoped that extra bit of information was within the article, if not he just outed himself after having just made it through the first hurdle.

_“ **Truth.** ”_

“Yes, yes he did. Glad to see potential students so informed.” Nezu hummed quietly as his smile lessened, it almost looked as if though he was disappointed, “Apologies for the off-topic question, I have tendency to diverge when something piques my curiosity. Now, at your age it is unbelievably rare for a quirk to manifest; we are curious as to the circumstances.” Nezu leant forward once again, “As I see there are two options: either was in response to an action you hadn’t performed before – however your diagnosis from your youth would lead me to believe otherwise – or…” His eyes shone with intensity, “Force manifestation.”

Aizawa coughed in response, quietly wondering why the principal had thrown away the acquisition angle so quickly and was committing to the idea he _wasn’t_ a vigilante, but a flick of the chimera’s ear told him that it was part of a plan. He resigned himself to listen for now and let Nezu take the lead.

* * *

“Force manifestation?” Tsukauchi questioned to no one, “I thought he was trying to see if Iz- the kid had been given a quirk, and he essentially threw away the Smoker theory.” He put up his best look of confusion as he mentally cheered they had steered off the previous topic, his nerves skyrocketed as soon as it began. He was glad his coat was covering up how much he had sweat through it. As it turns out he was nowhere near as ready for this as he thought he would be.

Toshinori stroked his chin as he stared at the mop of green from the other side of the faux-board, “ **Knowing Nezu, he has something planned. He’s not one to be careless**. **And maybe he believes me in that he was quirkless when I met him.** ” He reasoned.

“Still.” Tsukauchi sighed as he leant back in his seat, feigning stiffness as he ended his act for a brief moment to get a better look at his friend. Toshinori’s face had been set into a pensive look ever since the Izuku had entered the room, his normally confident pose was now stiff and uncomfortable. But he chalked this up to concern for who might be involved. “It’s been nothing but truth’s so far, I’m getting a good feeling from this.” _Truth._ He attempted to reassure his friend while building a hopefully good image of the green-teen.

Toshinori’s face didn’t change, instead he simply sat down, “ **Just** … be careful, I want him to be innocent in all of this, but I can’t hesitate… not again.” Tsukauchi rarely head All Might’s voice so soft, but he understood. He was scared. And it made the detective feel all the more guilty.

He nodded slowly before placing a hand on the shoulder of the giant man in comfort, turning his attention back to the room.

* * *

“Forced manifestation?” Izuku recoiled at the question.

“Yes, it is a likely scenario, but we would just like you to clarify. Force manifested quirks can be dangerous, and powerful considering a person psyche during its formation. We simply want to see if there is anything we need to be concerned of.” Nezu offered with an innocently-evil smile. “So, how did you get your quirk?”

Izuku stared at the two, his eyesight hazing as his mind supplied him with the _real_ answer, his eyes burning slightly as the memories flooded back.

Aizawa sat straight up as the large teen in front him appeared to become far more uncomfortable, his vibrant-green eyes dimming under the question. _Oh yeah, definite trauma… shit, maybe I was wrong about the vigilante idea. Oh well, I still need to hear his response_. He knew his subconscious was in turmoil at pushing for information from a clearly distressed teen, but this could be a breaking point, and if it led to an evil like no other it would be worth it.

Nezu faltered slightly at the response before resetting himself, the sudden show of emotion confirming it was not a pleasant experience. Now he had to figure out why; what lead to this reaction - and could he exploit it. “Mr. Midoriya?” he attempted to regain the focus.

Izuku robotically turned to the source of noise, part of his mind trying to find an answer and the other dealing with the emotions of revisiting those memories. “I-I, uhh. I-I don’t know.”

_“ **False.** ”_

Aizawa decided to insert himself back in, “You’re not sure?”

“S-something happened… but… i-it d-didn’t happen then.” He knew he was being vague, but he was trying to control his emotions and keep calm all at once, and that could only work so well. The alternative was spewing what happened in that nightmare of an alley. _“Get too emotional, and they will control you. You need to disconnect if you’re feeling overwhelmed.”_ Eugene, the master of hiding his feelings.

_“ **I need more.** ”_

“We need more details, Mr. Midoriya.” The principal pushed once more, his mind telling him there was something here, he just needed to dig for it.

“I-I…” He trailed off. _Close off, just for a second._

“Midoriya.” Aizawa’s tone was a bit more forceful, it allowed Izuku to focus himself for that second, but his answer came out far hollower than he intended.

“I watched someone die, and I couldn’t save him.” His eyes lost all light as he voiced his words, his tone non-existent, it all simply came out as a response.

_“… **Truth.** ”_

Aizawa’s voice softened ever so slightly, “Who did you watch die?”

“…A stranger.” A soft smack on the metal table alerted Izuku to the fact that he was crying, _so much for no emotions._

_“ **Truth.** ”_

“And you received your powers after that?” Aizawa squashed the wave of guilt, but plenty had already made it to shore.

“T-the next day, they just showed up.” He scrunched his eyebrows as a memory passed through, and Nezu did well to notice it.

_“ **Half-Truth.** ”_

“There was no trigger? No one pushed you or gave anything to you?” Nezu prodded, the detective’s words spurring him on despite his nagging morality.

Izuku paused, his head tilting, “I… I was thinking about w-what happened. I think that caused it. I blacked out, and when I woke up t-there was smoke everywhere.”

_“ **Truth.** ”_

Aizawa near visibly deflated as the communicator clicked off. There went one of their best options, and confirmed that he wasn’t The Smoker at the least, the timelines weren’t even close to matching. And on top of that, they caused the kid to relive past trauma all in one go. A part of him was relieved that he wasn’t involved in a life of vigilantism, however another part was just left more confused. Why did their quirks look so similar? Did he use the idea of the Smoker’s chain for inspiration? He turned to the source of nightmares and stuttered as Nezu’s eyes gleamed once more.

_So, not necessarily a force manifestation, but something awoke within him that day. He continues to grow more and more interesting by the minute. Emotional, yet driven. Awkward, yet filled with determination. Untrained, yet highly skilled. Unsure, yet honest, for the most part._

“And has it caused any side effects with your quirk, these emotions?” Nezu asked, acting completely unfazed by the confirmation.

“N-no, I keep a pretty good lid on them.” He answered while quickly wiping his cheek, hoping this new line of questioning could distract him as he let the rest of his feelings dribble back in, “I haven’t had many accidents s-since I got a good handle on my power. The training h-helped with that.”

Nezu hummed as he scribbled down some notes, “That’s good to hear. We had a student a few years ago whose quirk was heavily influenced by his emotions.” Nezu tapped his pen to his lower jaw, “I believe he called himself… All for One.”

Aizawa blinked at the name drop. _So that was his play, see what he could get out of him, confirm he wasn’t a vigilante, then do name drop and push harder._ Eraser head shook his head as he analyzed the teens features once more, waiting to see how this played out. _He must have already known he wasn’t the Smoker, which means he believed All Might from the start._ He huffed silently and leaned backwards. _No one tells me anything anymore._

“W-was that his name?” Izuku asked tentatively.

“Rather strange isn’t it. It was going to be his hero name, decided he should commit to the persona as a way to drive himself forward.” The chimera hummed innocently, “I believe he also resided within Musutafu; you wouldn’t happen to know an All for One.” This would be his last effort to see if he would be arresting a teenager today and preparing the hero world for the return of the incarnation of evil. It was a simple plan, and if he was being honest, he could have worked this in much earlier, but he needed him to be emotionally compromised. As dirty as that thought sounded.

Izuku blinked as he attempted to recall if he had heard anyone going by that alias, digging deep as his curiosity flared. He felt a warm sensation spike, familiarity and… fear? _Was he a vigilante Delsin knew?_ All this echoed throughout his mind before they quickly retreated. “A-ah… n-no, I don’t believe I do.” He finally answered, both teachers waiting with baited breath for an answer, to finally confirm or release their suspicions. Aizawa gripped his hidden capture tape, the material taped flat to the underside of the table, and tensed his eyes in preparation.

_“ **…...** ”_

* * *

_“I believe he also resided within Musutafu; you wouldn’t happen to know an All for One.” The muffled voice echoed throughout the silent room._

All Might stiffened as it passed by him, his legs tensing and his arm lifting in preparation to dive through the screen, turning his head to his seated friend, waiting with bated breath for an answer. He hoped desperately that Tsukauchi said he was telling the truth, that this boy had finally been given a chance to be a hero. That he hadn’t destroyed the teen and handed him over the forces of evil, whether out of his own selfish desire to hope for good or fear of the guilt that would consume him if it was the wrong answer.

Tsukauchi waited for Izuku’s answer. In the grand scheme of this interrogation, this was the easy part. Now that they had removed any vigilante suspicion, all that was left was this, even then it surprised the detective how honest the emerald kid was being. _Definitely a load off my back, now to wrap this up._ Izuku had no idea who All for One was, and no amount of Nezu’s clever wording was going to change that. A wave of warmth washed over at the thought of giving his friend good, _honest_ answers that Izuku was clear. That no evil was returning to wreak havoc upon the world. His investigation withstanding of course, but even then, he knew it was simply paranoia due their boogey man.

_“A-ah… n-no, I don’t believe I do.”_

_Tr- False._ His quirk shakily supplied, him physically feeling it change mid-reply.

Tsukauchi was ripped from his assurances as the answer resounded through his head, his heart racing at a million miles a minute. _What the fuck!?_ His mind spurred with every memory he had of Izuku, and at no point did All for One show up. Surely Cole or Zeke would have known if he had any contact with _him_. Maybe they mentioned the name at some point, but they didn’t know about him. But why would he lie about it? It made no sense and in turn only served to worsen Tsukauchi’s current state.

“ **Naomasa?** ” All Might asked hesitantly at seeing his friend sitting up straighter, his muscles tensing even further and his heart sinking even more.

Tsukauchi yanked himself out of his thoughts and babbled out whatever excuse he could, “I-I didn’t hear him properly. Ask again.” He fired off into the communicator

“ _Are you sure, would have thought his name would have stuck out?_ ” The principal asked again.

Tsukauchi waited once more, the seconds feeling like minutes as he prepared his quirk, Toshinori giving him a concerned look from his fighting position.

“ _No, I’m sorry.”_ He finally answered.

_Truth._

Tsukauchi visibly slumped back into his seat at his quirk’s admission, a strange smile of relief and confusion forming as the answer came through, this time far more concrete. He turned to the slowly relaxing form of his friend, a strange look of hope and fear residing upon him mas he awaited the confirmation that the boy was indeed innocent – having taken his friends actions as relief.

Tsukauchi nodded his head while giving a small smile, “Truth.”

Toshinori burst into a grin as he let his head fall backwards, snuffing a mighty laugh as relief washed over him. He would have fallen back into his chair if he didn’t fear it breaking, “Thank God.” He sighed heavily, chuckling tiredly as a weight was lifted off his conscious.

“No kidding.” Tsukauchi exhaled, internally grateful that his reaction served to solidify his act further.

Now he just had to figure out why his first answer was false.

* * *

_“ **Truth.** ”_

Aizawa let his grip of his capture tape relax as the message came through, and internally sighed a breath of relief. The detective’s message was clear; there was no ultimate evil waiting for them around the corner and he wouldn’t be seeing this teen in the middle of the night surrounded by unconscious villains. He let the paranoia he had been holding since they had organized the whole charade fade away, doubts and backup plans for back up plans locking away to await another catastrophe.

_I need a nap._

“Fortunate I suppose, his quirk was rather unstable.” Nezu summed up before flipping the page of the clipboard and taking another sip of tea, the tense air Izuku had been feeling disappeared as the chimera relaxed into the back of his seat. “Now the hard part is out of the way, I would like you to tell me about your quirk.” An excited grin spread across his furry face as the teen’s eyes seemed to shine almost blindingly, an unmissable look of sheer glee and intelligence gracing his features.

The chimera resisted the urge to laugh like a maniac as Izuku pulled out a notebook seemingly out of nowhere, handing over the wealth of information as he let loose a barrage of facts that he had memorized about his own power. The book itself held levels of analysis Nezu had only seen from quirk analysts fresh out of university, theories of limitations and possible applications littered each page in a perfectly-constructed mess of years of dedication. He knew this was supposed to be about Midoriya’s quirk but his curiosity had left him tearing through each page like it was an award-winning thriller, the suspense of what he miight find next fascinating him.

He was far more than pleased that this anomaly of a hero in-training had winded up on his doorstep, he was downright ecstatic. 

Aizawa, seeing Nezu look over the mysterious that had nearly caused him to curl into a ball and go to sleep as soon as it was summoned from seemingly nowhere, decided the chimera was to absorbed to take down truly comprehensive notes of the teen’s ramblings, leaving him to pick up the slack. “… _control shot_ you said?” He sighed tiredly, sliding the clipboard and pen to his side of the table.

A barely muffled laughter echoed from the other side of the video-board.

* * *

“Marvelous!” Nezu chirped happily as he stepped out the door of the interview room, both humans following closely behind, Aizawa somehow looking more tired than usual and Izuku smiling contently after being allowed to talk about his quirk for close to an hour.

A head of long green hair barreled in from the side, an obscenely long patch of blonde following suit and chuckling teasingly as Izuku’s mother somehow smothered her significantly taller son in a back breaking hug. 

“Mrs. Midoriya, I presume.” Nezu acknowledged, the short women quickly letting her son go and bowing quickly, Izuku gasping for air as the constriction around his windpipe had finally been removed.

“Greetings, sir, and it’s miss actually.”

“My mistake,” the principal bowed as he introduced himself, “I am Principal Nezu, a pleasure to meet you.”

“Like-wise.” She smiled-kindly, before turning to the person who looked as though he needed a bath and a goodnights sleep.

“Aizawa Shouta, firs-year homeroom teacher for the heroics course.” He greeted.

Nodding she turned to her now recovered son, “Did everything go alright?”

“Yeah mom, they j-just wanted know if there was anything to be worried about concerning my quirk.” He explained reassuringly.

Inko looked over to the three teachers questioningly, “Is there a reason to be concerned, my son hasn’t had any accidents in the last ten months, if anything I’ve never seen him look this healthy.”

“We gathered from our questions, and might I say your son analysis skills are truly something special” Nezu complimented as he flipped through Izuku’s notebook, the worn material having never left his grip. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen notes so detailed from a student so young. He explained this was a hobby he took to assist his chances of being a hero, and from what I’ve seen you truly committed.” He snapped the book shut, returning it the teen who slipped it back into god knows-where. “And I do hope you’ll continue this during your schooling here at UA, I’m sure your class will benefit from it just as much as you.”

Izuku smiled brightly as a light dusting of red formed on his cheeks, “Yes sir, I’ll help out anyway I can!” His enthusiasm for quirks shining through. A sniffle from the side, however, grabbed his attention. He turned to see his mother covering her mouth as tears streaked across her face. “Mom! Are you alright? What happened-” He never got the chance to finish as his mother engulfed him in a hug, her grin physically present as she pressed her face into his shoulder.

“You did it.” She whispered, and only then did Nezu’s words truly register with him. His eye’s widening as the principal beamed at him and Present Mic laughed to the side, having to support himself on Aizawa’s shoulder to prevent himself from doubling over.

_Oh, I got in._

He proceeded to burst into tears, hugging his mother tight as he cried silently, though for the first time in a long time; it was out of pure joy. He did it, he passed, and he was going to live up to his promise.

_I hope I can make you proud Delsin, Cole, everyone_.

* * *

“Guess I was wrong,” Aizawa said to Nezu as they watched Mic escort the Midoriya’s from the premises, both still crying enough that Nezu was concerned they would pass out from dehydration. “At least the incarnation of villainy isn’t alive. I’m getting more and more paranoid.” He finished as he administered a few eye-drops, his dry-eye acting up after testing if the volumes of tears both Midoriya’s had put out wasn’t some quirk.

“Yes, it is good to know that All for One won’t be a problem at least.” Nezu acknowledged as he watched the smoke-user disappear in the distance. “Though now we have another issue.”

Aizawa stared at the rat as he attempted to make sense of what he had just said. Hadn’t they confirmed the kid was in the clear? He had looked ecstatic during the _actual_ quirk interview, and he had dropped all questioning. Nezu even gave him his acceptance letter and assigned him to Aizawa personally-

He groaned as he ran a hand over his face, “There is no article of an electricity user, is there? That’s why I don’t remember it, that was the report you got from the Hero Commission this morning, right?”

Nezu grinned mischievously, “Perceptive as always Aizawa. Young Mr. Midoriya somehow knew not one, but two pieces of information that have not been released to the public yet, the latter of which we didn’t even have knowledge of. Though after today there will be an article, can’t have him checking and not finding anything, that would reveal our hand. But no, he knows something, and the detective was covering for him.” Nezu’s eyes burned with righteous fury.

“I knew those moves looked too similar for there not be a connection." he sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "So, either they’re both involved somehow, or the detective is at least protecting the fact that he is involved. But why did you still accept him?”

Nezu turned to the tired pro with a look that would fit better on evil-mastermind than a high school principal, and the excited tone only further worsened his next words, and left Aizawa with a brand-new nightmare.

“I want to play with this one more before I break him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: "Welcome to UA" with Aizawa Shouta
> 
> I'm alive. 
> 
> Barely anyway.
> 
> Longest chapter I've ever done and it kicked my ass while doing so, this turned out to be a lot harder than I thought but I'm better for it I suppose.
> 
> Also Nezu is not a bad... animal? here, he just doesn't like being lied to. And he takes sweet joy in making people pay for lying.
> 
> Update: The idea of Force Manifested quirks, was a concept I borrowed from Lgsyrus' story, Will to Survive. All credit for it goes to them. It's a fantastic fic and I recommend giving it a read. 
> 
> Hope this turned out alright, and I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> See ya.


	13. Welcome to UA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day jitters, first day test, and a burning question.

“You ready?”

“Yes?... no. I don’t know.” Izuku gripped the phone tighter as he stared at his new uniform, the grey blazer hanging from his cupboard seeming far scarier than it did when he went to pick it up. “I’m so excited to finally begin learning at UA, but at the same time… it feels like I’m not gonna be able to find my class and then get in trouble, or look like an idiot and no one is going to take me seriously and everyone is just gonna laugh at me, ortheteacherwilljustexpelforscrewingupmyfirstday,didyouknowtheycanexpelatanytimetheywant!Lastyearoneofthefirstyearteachersexpelledhisentireclassonthefirstday!”

“ _Green can you shut the fuck up!_ ” Izuku winced as Fetch’s distorted voice screeched from the other side of the phone, leaving a slight ringing in his that he pushed _Regen_ to fix. “ _I swear, if they just said they’ll meet you at the front gate you’d be worried about being late or missing your train._ ”

“Oh no!” He gripped chunks of his hair as Fetch let loose an exhausted sigh, “What if I miss my train?!”

“ _Zeke, talk him down before I run over there and fucking shoot him._ ”

Quiet shuffling echoed out the speaker as Fetch handed the device over, “ _Green bean, you need to cool it. You’ve been essentially interrogated before and you made it out of there fine, not to mention Cole has literally broken your back; I think walking to class will be the least scary thing you’ve done._ ”

“But what if I miss my-”

“ _It’s **four** in the morning, you are not gonna miss your train! If anything, you’ll miss your stop because you fell asleep… ah shit.” _Zeke cursed his own stupidity.

Izuku sat up ramrod straight, “I need coffee.”

…

“ _I’m shooting him, I’ll see you guys in 10 minutes._ ”

“ _Fetch wait!”_ Zeke’s frantic cries echoed out as Izuku heard the padding of feet on concrete.

“ _Izuku calm down-_ ”

“ _Cole don’t touch the-_ ” Static cut off whatever Eugene was about to say, leaving Izuku alone in silence as anxiety surged through him.

Izuku blinked as every worst-case scenario sprouted from his paranoia, leaving him feeling nauseas and frozen with fear, “Guys?”

* * *

Cole stared at the sparking lump of plastic in his hand, small trails of smoke pouring out of every port as the screen cracked and glitched. “Not again.”

Zeke stared at his friend, dumbfounded, as Eugene face-planted on the dining table that occupied the center of their basement/apartment, “How do you keep forgetting?” Zeke asked tiredly.

Coles scrunched his face and glared at his best friend, “I didn’t _always_ fry every phone I touched you know!” He growled, Zeke waving him off in response.

An awkward silence filled the room as all four tried to make sense of what to do next.

Zeke let loose a loud-obnoxious yawn, scratching the back of his head as he made his way back to his room, “Anyway, I’m going back to bed. Tsukauchi’s finally stopping over for that ‘chat’ he mentioned a while back, so if it’s all the same I’d prefer sleep before I get a headache.” He mumbled as he shut his door, leaving the remaining three staring at the broken device as they contemplated what to do now.

“Should we phone again?” Eugene asked, his concern for Izuku’s meltdown resonating with his social anxieties – a trait the two had found common ground in.

“Please no, if I have to listen to more of whatever _that_ was, I’m _actually_ going to go over there.” Fetch sighed as she walked back to her room.

Cole hummed quietly as he dumped the charred phone into the salvage pile next to Zeke’s door, “Izuku needs to learn to deal with it, I know its harsh, but he always does better under pressure.” Hand-holding was never Cole’s style, and if he was being honest, Izuku never needed any to begin with. Granted he was a nervous mess when it came to anything new and out of his comfort zone, but when it came to his goal, he’d stare down death itself if it meant he could be a hero. Whether from his dreams growing up, or his promise to Delsin and himself, nothing would stop him. Social anxiety included; he just needed a push.

“He’ll be alright.”

* * *

“I am not ok.” Izuku gripped large tuffs of curly green as he groaned in frustration.

Over the past 10 months he had gained a quirk, been tied down by vigilantes, been trained by said vigilantes, been beaten, broken, shot at, worked to collapsing, cleaned an entire coastline, layed waste to an army of robots, blown up a skyscraper by using his _body_ as a missile, and more recently been interrogated by one of the most intelligent beings in existence. Bu through all that pain, exhaustion and effort… he still couldn’t do a _tie_ properly!

“Why is this so hard!?” He yelled as he stared at the short and stubby red garment that graced his chest. “Learning how to control my shots was easier than this.” He grumbled as he fumbled with the thin material. His trip to school was starting to look easier by the second – or at least more manageable.

His phone pinged, a brief message popping up in his notifications.

**Uraraka** : _See you in class, todays gonna be great!_

Izuku couldn’t resist the smile that formed at the sight of it, his frustration discarded briefly. His picked up his phone and sent a quick reply, returning her sentiment and expressing his excitement. Ever since the exam the pair had spoken at least twice a week, small-talk for the most part but a conversation no less. Though he had to refrain from blurting out he got in to early, instead waiting for when she let him know. “At least I’ll have one friend at UA.” He mumbled as he went back to attempting the impossible.

A knock broke his attention away from his aggravating task, “Izuku” the caring voice of his mother called from the other side of the door, “Is everything alright in there, I heard shouting?”

Izuku pushed himself off his mattress, opening the door he was met with a teasing giggle as the sorry excuse of a tie came into view of his mother, the red item sitting directly in front of her thanks to his height, “Having trouble I see.”

Izuku sighed, nodding his head reluctantly, “I’ve never really been good with ties.”

“A trait you share with your father,” She teased as she loosened the offensive garment, “If I had a yen for every time I had to fix his tie before work… well let’s just say we wouldn’t be living in an apartment.” She finished, patting his chest, his tie now sitting properly around his neck, reaching just below his belly.

Izuku pulled the shorter women into a tight hug, Inko reciprocating as she pressed her face into his chest, “I’m so proud of you.” She mumbled.

Izuku did his best to restrain the tears that threatened to spill, instead pulling her in tighter and pouring all the love he could muster into the hug, “Thank you, for everything, mom.”

“Izuku,” She pushed away and stared up giant of a man that was her son, “You did most of this on your own, you went to train every day, you passed the exam. If anything, I should be apologizing for not supporting you sooner.” Izuku held back at interrupting, he could see she needed to get this off her chest before it continued to eat away at her. Years of guilt and regret bubbling over and threatening to spill out onto his blazer, “But I also know saying sorry is part of the problem. So, all I can do know is give you everything I have and believe in you. I do believe in you.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she gave her best motherly smile.

Izuku simply pulled her in again, “I know mom, I love you.”

“I love you too, and you are going to be an amazing hero.” And in that moment, with the smile he gave her, Inko could safely say she saw her husband for the second time in the past 10 months.

* * *

“Wow, this thing is huge!” Was the only Izuku could say as he stared up at the behemoth of a door, 1A painted in large print across its surface. Ever since his growth spurt everything around him had felt smaller and smaller, ducking under doors and having to angle himself through doorways becoming a common occurrence. But here, at UA, well for the first time in a while he felt really small. _Wonder what I would feel if I was still shorter?_ He decided that it would only worsen the anxiety that had caused him to wake up at 3 that morning and left him arriving a whole hour early for his train ride through.

“Get your feet off the desk! Have you no respect for this institution or yourself!? You look like a hooligan!” A stern and scolding shout took him out of his reverie. _Crap! I really am late! The teachers already here!_

Izuku flung the door open, admitting silently that it was far lighter than he anticipated as it slammed against the frame. He hoped desperately that whoever was their homeroom teacher would excuse his tardiness and the possible damage to school property. He internally cursed at the loud bang, all heads turning to him and breaking up the argument between the blue-haired boy he saw at the exam and…

_Oh shit._

Izuku froze as green met red, and a tense aura filled the room as Bakugo stared down Izuku. Their icy interaction when they went the principal’s office at Aldera, still very fresh in his mind. Bakugo hadn’t uttered a word. His normally fiery and prideful temper and personality were replaced with a silence that Izuku couldn’t place. If he thought about it, Bakugo hadn’t even acknowledged him during the whole experience. Then again, he hadn’t ever since _that_ day either.

“You!”, The awkward tension was shattered as the blue-haired boy marched over to Izuku, arms flailing robotically as he took long strides, the entire class now fully turning their attention to the tall-green haired boy.

Izuku pointed at himself, a rather confused look on his face, “Me.” A faint giggle echoed from the side, pink fluffy hair bouncing up and down as one girl tried to contain her amusement.

“Yes, you!” Blue-hair stood at attention in front of him, the glasses-wearing teen measuring up just below Izuku’s eyebrows. “I am Tenya Iida from Somei Private Academy!” He bowed deep, leaving Izuku blushing and stuttering as more chuckles and giggles resounded from throughout the room.

“I-I-I’m I-Izuku Midoriya. It’s a pleasure to m-meet y-y-you Iida.” He waved his hands in front of him, hoping to dispel whatever the teen in front of him was doing.

Thankfully Iida straightened up, yet his eyes shone with intensity, “Midoriya…” Izuku nearly stood at attention with how formal the blue-teen sounded, “You figured out the entrance exam, didn’t you? I thought you were simply a distraction, but when you saved that girl… you discovered the hidden test.”

“huh?” Izuku arched an eye-brow, trying desperately to make sense of the serious teen’s words, “W-what secret are you talking about, Iida-”

“Midoriya!” He was cut off by a cheerful voice, the bubbly personality he recognized all too quickly as he silently thanked her for creating a distraction.

Izuku spun around to face the chestnut hair and chocolate eyes of Uraraka, her permanent blush and upbeat attitude causing him to smile immediately as he took in her attire. The top half of the uniform was universal, however the skirt and leggings that clung to her toned legs were an obvious difference. _Legs-_ Izuku slammed his eyes shut and fought desperately to contain his blush. “H-hi Uraraka!”

“We made it!” She exclaimed while pumping her fist in the air.

He grinned at her ever-contagious enthusiasm. “Yeah, we did.”

“So, who do you think our teacher is gonna be? I heard the Blood hero: Vlad king and Present Mic were first year teachers, but I’m not sure if they do the heroics course. I really do hope they are nice.”

“Oh,” Izuku perked up at the mention of hero’s, “I know one is-” The hairs on the back of his neck stood as his pupils shrunk, _Smoke_ shooting through his senses as he scanned every inch of his environment. The sense of dread and anxiousness was so familiar, almost like… his eye twitched and he shut off his power as his vision made contact with the yellow-worm form that was Eraser-head, the tired man slurping on a juice pack from his position on the floor.

“E-eraser Head s-sir?” Izuku stuttered at the strange scene in front of him, Uraraka craning her head over and freezing as she saw what Izuku was looking at. They didn’t even notice the rest of the class trying to squeeze in a look at the sight in front of the trio.

Aizawa stared at Izuku questioningly, “You knew who I was?”

Izuku rebooted and tried his best to sprout out a coherent sentence, “A-ah yeah, I recognized y-your v-v-voice from the i-interview l-last year, the one w-where you broke the r-reporters camera.” Iida tried his best not to lecture his teacher about breaking the personal property of someone simply trying to do their job.

“And you didn’t say anything?”

Izuku blinked again, “I-I didn’t t-think it w-w-was important.” He reasoned.

“uhh.” Uraraka shifted her gaze between the caterpillar Infront of her and he giant form of her friend, “You two… know each other?”

Izuku turned his gaze to her, “Ah yeah we met-”

“We met briefly, now are you going to keep chatting or are you going to grow some sense and pay attention?” Aizawa’s tone turned stern as he lifted himself off the floor, hanging his sleeping bag over one arm as towered over Uraraka.

“U-uhh… no?” She cringed at her reply. “I mean yes? I-I think.”

Aizawa huffed, reaching into his sleeping bag and pulling out a tracksuit, throwing the garment towards Izuku who was half-tempted to let it hit the floor from fear of where it had been beforehand. “Put that on and meet me outside by the field in ten minutes.”

Izuku stared at the UA tracksuit before shifting to Aizawa, “Is this sanitary?”

Aizawa began walking down the hall, “What did I say about stupid chatting?” He asked dryly.

“Wait, what about e-everyone else? W-why do you only have one?!” He called after the insomniac.

“In the change rooms!”

“oh, so he did do that for dramatic affect.” Izuku nodded along with his own reasoning. “Well, b-best not to keep him waiting, I’ll explain on the way.” He shook Uraraka out of her stupor, the girl nodding and following along as Izuku made his way to the change room, Iida following suit.

A blonde with a dark strip through his hair stared at the empty door-way, “What just happened?”

The silence and faces of confusion were answer enough.

* * *

“An interview?” Iida questioned as the pushed through the doors leading out to the field, having finished changing quickly and the others having arrived later due to undisclosed reasons, they were some of the first to reach the massive open-area.

Izuku nodded as he began to stretch the muscles in his arms, the material pulling taught against his ribs and chest. _Going to need to get a bigger size._ “Y-yeah, my quirk c-came in late. A-and after what I d-did at the entrance exam, they just wanted to make sure i-it wasn’t going to be d-dangerous to have me here.” He explained.

Iida cupped his chin, nodding approvingly at UA’s reasoning, “As to be expected of the top hero school, constantly ensuring the best for their students.” He stated while chopping the air.

“Hey wait up!” Both boys spun around to see a jogging Uraraka coming through the double doors, sliding up next to the two teen boys. _She looks cute in- Shut Up, stupid brain!_

“Ah, Uraraka yes?” Iida questioned as the brunette began to walk with them.

“Yup, and you are… Iida, right? You were the speedster from the exam?” She questioned as the trio continued their walk to where Aizawa was standing, the large fields expanding out before them, dozens of lines and boundaries set for different tests.

“Yes, Iida Tenya, a pleasure to meet you.” He dipped his back as they took their places across from their homeroom teacher.

“Speedster?” Izuku perked up at them mention of the blue-teens quirk, pen and book out and ready, Aizawa let out a strangled-cough at its appearance.

Iida stared at the sudden appearance with clear concern, “I thought your quirk involved smoke, where did that come from?” He pointed towards the parchment before looking back up to Izuku, “Do you have another quirk?”

“What are you talking about?” Izuku questioned, scratching his cheek as he tilted his head, Uraraka getting a weird feeling in her stomach at the innocent look of the green-haired boy as his biceps bulged and the material pulled tighter. _How do you look so innocent and like a body-builder at the same time?_

Iida stiffened and pointed at Izuku’s empty hands-

The speedster blinked as he stared at the clear lack of the book that was once there, his brain stuttering as he attempted to make sense of what he was seeing, arms flailing back and forth. “How…”

Uraraka put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, a comforting smile shining through, “Don’t question it, it confused me when I saw it too.” Iida nodding in understanding, arms still chopping away as his functions rebooted.

Izuku tapped his shoulder once more, book now in hand, and a sheepish smile across his face.

“So, about your quirk?” Uraraka giggled as Iida short circuited once more.

* * *

Aizawa buried his head in his scarf as he watched Iida Tenya attempt to restart his brain thanks to the results of the Problem Child’s antics. A nickname he had deemed accurate after the headache that was the interview, and more than that; he knew whatever Midoriya was hiding, was a migraine waiting to happen.

The padding of shoes on dirt alerted the pro to the arrival of the rest of the class, the stragglers pulling in with three minutes left to spare, _Too slow._ He waited a few seconds longer for the group to settle, something he would make sure wouldn’t happen again. “You’re late.” He stated bluntly, a number of the class looking around the see who had just arrived before finally realizing he was referring to them.

A hand shot up from the crowd, a short green-haired girl stepping forward, “But sir, _ribbit._ ” She poked her cheek and she tilted her head, “Didn’t you say we had ten minutes?”

Aizawa huffed, _Naïve_ , “And if you have to get to a villain fight in ten minutes? Are you going to wait until nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds to get there, or are you going to get there as soon as physically possible?” The frog girl let out a small embarrassed- _ribbit_ under his intense gaze, a number of the class stiffening under the question. _Good, they understand._ “You’re here to be heroes, you don’t have the luxury of taking your time. That’s why we are having your quirk assessment test now.”

“We’re missing orientation?!” Uraraka questioned, eyes-blown open at the clear dismissal of a school’s traditions. 

“Is orientation going to help you save lives? Or defeat villains? What about stop disasters?” He let a little of his quirk run through, his eyes shining with a slight red-tint as his hair began to levitate, a trick he had learned to help with interrogations. “You have three years to become fully-fledged heroes, three years to be learn how to _survive_ in the real world. You don’t have time for luxuries. If you can’t understand that, I will gladly sign your expulsion forms.”

The entire class blanched at the admission that he was more than ready to expel any one of them at the drop of a hat, Iida stiffening under the clear hazing, his natural instincts telling him to point out the absurdity of it all. He quietly bit his tongue. _Tensei wouldn’t back out, and neither will I._

Uraraka felt like retreating back into the crowd, the teacher’s reasons striking deep with her. She wasn’t here to have fun, she was here to save people, to help her parents. She tried her best not to let her nervousness show, instead nodding and setting her back up straight. _No backing out now, mom and dad are counting on me._

Izuku was taken aback by his teachers’ speech, Coles words from months prior coming to the forefront of his mind. The similarity between their views was almost identical, the world was unfair and they were there to help fight that unfairness. To protect others, just like Delsin did, just like her promised his friends. _I won’t let them down._

Aizawa watched the looks of nervousness change quickly into raw fire and determination, leaving him smirking under his scarf, he memorized the faces of those who took long to catch on. If they made it through today, he would need to work on solidifying that drive, turn that watery determination into solid ice.

“You catch on quick, good.” He pulled out a ball from his pocket, tossing the metallic sphere into the air a few times before throwing it to Midoriya, “Into the circle Midoriya.” He nodded over to the circular patch of field before turning back to the class, the green-teen quickly making his way over to the elevated ground. “You’ll be doing a series of tests to determine your standing within this class. The government only ever takes averages from middle-school tests without you using your quirks, its irrational and a waste of time. Not everyone is equal, and you will learn this fact here and now.”

The student’s expressions only grew more eager at the thought of testing their mettle against their peers, a raging fire roaring within a number of them; the red-eyed blonde in particular adopting a near manic grin. Aizawa smirked, _Let’s see how well that determination holds up under real stakes._ “By the way, last place will be deemed helpless and expelled immediately.” He nearly burst into laughter as their faces turned from excitement and determination, to fear and shock. “It’s time to show me your Plus Ultra.”

_This is gonna be interesting._

* * *

“EXPELLED!?” Many of the class gaped in terror as a simple apprehension test turned into the possible end of their careers before it even began, the teacher’s previous threat of expulsion now taking a very real and immediate form.

“Do I have to repeat my explanation of luxuries?” Aizawa glared at the group, the more vocal ones immediately quieting down as his earlier lecture was mentioned once again, a wave of “No sirs” echoing out from the teens.

Aizawa turned his gaze over to the emerald teen who was still standing within the throwing ring, sweating nervously at the thought of losing everything from day one. “Midoriya, throw the ball as far as you can using your quirk.” Aizawa failed to hear the huff or disbelief emanating from behind him, Bakugo scoffing at the teacher’s clear lack of knowledge of his student.

“Yes Mr. Eraser Head.” Bakugo blinked at Deku’s response, there was no denial or explanation that he was quirkless. _Is he hiding it?_

“Mr. Aizawa will do fine, Midoriya.”

Izuku took up his stance, angling his body to maximize the swing in his arm. He tossed the ball into the a few times, gauging it’s wait as he formulated a plan. _I could just pour Smoke into my arms and back muscles, maybe my legs for added rotation, but even then, it would only go so far. I need to maximize the carrying force behind it, but how do I do that._ He gripped his chin as he examined the sphere in his hand.

“Is this going to take long, a villain is going to give you the time of day to figure out how to beat him.” His teacher huffed from the sidelines.

Izuku shook his head as he broke out of his thoughts, “Yes sir.” He nodded. _The energy created by Smoke will be enough to push my muscles far enough that I won’t get last, but I need to do better._ And then it clicked, he needed force, power behind the ball… or maybe he needed it _around_ it, just like his chain. He wound his arm back, locking his muscles as he let his body build up tension. He poured _Smoke_ Into his body and let them familiar warmth and adrenaline of the inferno cover his body, black and green spiraling out and around him, spilling onto the floor as it created a cloak of ember.

A raven-headed boy stared in awe as smoke and embers consumed the man Infront of him, his body fading into the emerald-blackness. “A master of the ashes of the world.”

“Wait…Midoriya… didn’t he get first on the entrance exam?” The frog girl asked as she poked her chin.

Bakugo’s eyes blew wide open, his mouth hanging loose as he took in the sight before him, “WHAT THE HELL-”

He never finished as Izuku let loose, propelling his arm forward at light speeds as all the tension in his body found an outlet. A quiet but hard thud dispersing the smoke around him as he sent out a small shockwave. The ball flew from his hand, a trail of green following as the object travelled over the massive open expanse, finally hitting the ground after it was nothing more than a spec in the distance.

A ping from Aizawa’s phone drew everyone’s attention, the tired pro waving away any residual smoke as he stared at the number, nodding approvingly as he turned the phone to the class, “As I said, you will learn your place here, and the only way your gonna make it is if you give it your all.”

A few low whistles and gasps resounded from the group as they stared at the number on the phone: 508.4m.

“Manly, that’s one strong quirk.” A spiky haired-red head pumped his fist approvingly from the side.

“There’s no way I could throw that far.”

“It’s understandable considering.” Iida piped up as he gripped his chin, a number of the class turning to him questioningly.

“What do you mean.” A small boy with balls on his head asked, “How is that understandable, that dude is so strong! I know he got first, but a lot of that was rescue points wasn’t it!?”

Iida fixed his glasses as he turned to the purple-balled-haired boy, “Well, he was the one to destroy the zero-pointer, it’s not surprising he has that kind of power. That’s where the rescue points most likely came from.”

“Yeah,” Uraraka nodded along, “Saved me from getting crushed and tore it in two with one attack.”

“WHAT!” a multitude of people switched their attention over to the mysterious smoke-user, the teen in question swinging his shoulder to disperse the lingering aches from pushing his joints so hard.

A raven-haired girl stared at the rest of her class quizzically. _What’s a zero-pointer?_

* * *

_A **quirk**!? **First**?! I didn’t check the results…_

Bakugo stared at giant form that was Deku, muscles bulging and looking as though he hadn’t just lied to him for who-knows-how-long. _He… he has a q-quirk?!_ His pupils shrunk and he could feel pops of power exploding in his palms. _He **lied** to me?! _Bakugo lurched forward, hands twisting back as he prepped a large explosion. _He made a fool of **me!?** That pathetic, useless, **Deku**?! _He would teach him to lie to him, to make look down on him. _I’m gonna kill him-_

Blood.

His pupils expanded, and the explosion he was preparing died in his hands as his arms went limp.

Blood. Everywhere.

His ears began to ring as sweat built up on his neck and forehead.

So, so much blood. Police, ambulances, the stench of death. A dark alley way, a pool of gore. Two bodies accompanying it.

He could feel his chest restricting as his mouth went dry, his hands shaking as he began to hyperventilate.

_Take a swan dive off the roof, and hope for a quirk in your next life._

He reached to grip the front of his shirt, hoping desperately to remove the restrictive feeling over his chest.

A rough hand gripped his shoulder. In an instant he snapped back to reality, there was no alley, there were no bodies. Just Deku, who somehow had a quirk. He spun around gripping the muscly arm that had grounded him to the present.

He glared at the sheepish smile that accompanied the red spiky hair, “Hey man, I know Mr. Aizawa’s threat of expulsion is scary,” He pumped his other fist and grinned brightly, “But we got this. I saw your explosions during the entrance exam, there’s no way you’re gonna fail.” Bakugo blinked under the praise, his previous fears slipping away as the red-haired teen reassured him.

Bakugo wiped the stupid expression off his own face and fixed the teen with a glare, “Of course I’m gonna win, like I’d lose to a bunch of extra’s.”

The other boy laughed, “That’s the spirit, but maybe avoid calling other people extras, it’s a little harsh. I’m Kirishima by the way.” He raised a clenched fist, signaling for Bakugo to reciprocate the fist-bump.

The explosive teen huffed before grinning viciously, “Bakugo, remember it, it’s gonna be the name of the next number one.” He spun around and waited for the teaches next instructions.

Kirishima laughed louder, “Sure thing, bro.”

* * *

_That hurt._ Izuku thought as he made his way back over to the group, turning his head to stare at the small speck that was the ball. Smiling to himself as he mentally cheered that his plan worked. _But it definitely was Plus Ultra._

“Alright then, first is a 50m dash. Iida Tenya, Asui Tsuyu, you’re up.” Aizawa announced as he gestured over to the small sprint track.

Izuku took up a position next to Uraraka, the girl in question holding up her hand for a high-five, “Nice job Midoriya, you did awesome!” She grinned as he returned the gesture.

“T-thanks, Uraraka, now w-we just need to get through the rest of these.” He smiled back before focusing his attention onto the Iida and the frog-like girl, Asui if he heard correctly. She was currently crouched into a squat, tongue hanging slightly loose as she prepared to move. Iida, on the other hand, took up a standing sprinter pose, arms angled in front of him as spaced his legs. What really drew Izuku’s attention were the sets of metal tubing that sprouted from his leg, puncturing small holes through the fabric of his pants. The robot let a mechanical beep out, Izuku watched with rapt attention Iida’s legs blared, the tubes which appeared to be exhausts flared to life as he shot from his place, Asui hopping after him. “Awesome.” Izuku mumbled star-eyed.

* * *

Uraraka watched amazed at the speed Iida achieved in such a short time, and marveled at how the frog-girl leapt through the air, coming in shortly behind the speedster. The smell of smoke and sound of scribbling registered, drawing her attention to her green-haired friend. Finding him with his notebook out and instead of the smell being his quirk, she watched as small traces of grey-cloud drifted off the pages and swirled around Midoriya’s hand before disappearing into his palm. She giggled lightly at the looks the few classmates standing around him had as they watched him write as though his life depended on it.

“Don’t worry, from what I can tell this is pretty normal.” She reassured them.

A large boy with thick lips scratched his scalp, “If he makes smoke from just _writing normally,_ then what’s him in a rush. I mean, I don’t think this is his quirk.”

Uraraka paused as she thought over the question, “I’m guessing fire.”

A dual-haired boy perked up at the mention of flames.

* * *

By the time his name was called, Izuku had filled up an additional six pages brimming with observations of his classmate’s quirks and current abilities. From Iida’s engines, Asui’s frog-abilities, Ojirio’s powerful tail, Uraraka’s ingenious idea to negate the gravity of her clothes, Ashido’s skating over what he assumed was acid by the burn trails it left, or Aoyama’s quick bursts from his belly-button laser – he grinned as he recognized the boy from the entrance exam. All of them held such promise and potential that he knew he was going to spend his evening dissecting each and every one. But for now, he had a sprint to complete.

A sprint against Bakugo.

He bit back the nerves as he took up his place next to his former-friend. The explosive teen sending a glare towards the dirt on the opposite end of the track, promising death and destruction upon whatever grain of sand happened to be in his way.

At least, that’s what it felt like.

“5,4,3…” The countdown made him concentrate on the task ahead, funneling his quirk through his legs as his vision slowed and the world warped. The last few seconds stretching out to give him time to analyze. He shot a glance at Bakugo, the blonde currently twisting his palms back and letting loose a series of miniature explosions – his face was set into that of a scowl, though holding none of his usual anger.

_Must be getting ready to propel himself with concentrated explosions, clever._ He looked back to the 100 metre gap in front of him, running through ways to increase his speed and growing more and more frustrated at the fact that he still didn’t know how to turn his bod into smoke on command. _Goals for another time._

* * *

The bang went off and Bakugo released a series of small but powerful explosions as he flew through the air, all his pent-up emotions disappearing as his adrenaline pumped through him. This would allow to him to bury what he felt whenever he looked at Deku, this would prove he was still superior – Deku had no hold over him. He would always be more powerful, quirk or not, he would always be leagues ahead of that quirkl- that bastard. He even let a feral grin escape as the counter revealed his time, “ **4.05/4.011** ” His thoughts ground to a halt as the second reading went off almost simultaneously.

Whipping his head back he stared watched as Deku pulled up next to him, mere milli-seconds after he had finished. “H-how…” He gritted his teeth before he could finish his sentence, instead balling his hands and stomping back off to the rest of the extra’s.

_I still won, that’s all that matters!_

He let loose small crackles as he watched Cheeks and the Robot congratulate him on his time. “Deku…” he seethed out, the brunette’s ears twitching as the venom behind his hissing oozed out.

_I still won this!_

Bloo-

_I still won..._

* * *

“52 kilograms.” Uraraka grinned as she let her grip loosen.

Izuku stared down at the grip tester resting in his hand, the reading on it reaching just under 100 kilograms.

Izuku gripped his chin as an idea popped into his head. _Smoke when shot outward creates force, the dented cars showed as much, so maybe if I let a little loose here…_

He flooded his hand and let loose a small blast from his palm, the number jumping up to just over 140. _Maybe a bit more._ The number jumped again as he let loose a normal blast. _Wow, 266_. Finally deciding to see what happened if he pooled more than his usual amount of _Smoke,_ he let his power completely consume his hand, tendrils of smoke pouring out of his arm to concentrate into his hand. Once he felt he had collected enough, his hand physically shaking due to the sudden surge of power, he released the energy outwards.

_Crap!_

And was promptly sent flying across the gym floor as the blast destroyed the machine and smacked straight into his chest. He skidded across the floor before smacking into the wall, his ears ringing and jaw feeling as though he had just gone a round with Fetch. “Note to self, point away from face when firing.” He groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, waving away Iida who had come over to fret over if he had any injuries, Uraraka laughing behind him as he flushed with embarrassment. He chuckled bashfully as a series of laughs and giggles echoed across the gym, the rest of the class finding his mistake undeniably amusing.

_At least they’re not laughing at me._

“540!” The boy with circular elbows, Hanta Sero, exclaimed as the guy with the multiple arms and covered mouth crunched down onto the machine, Shouji if he remembered correctly.

“Holy crap you’re strong!” The ball-haired boy, Minoru Mineta, shouted in equal praise.

Izuku whipped out his notebook, scribbling down the information on the multi-armed teen. The few that were in view of him sweat-dropping as the mysterious material appeared once more.

_How does he do that?_ Was the resounding question.

* * *

Taking a page out of Bakugo’s book and combining it with his earlier discovery Izuku crouched down before launching himself into the air, the sand pit below him quickly growing closer as he angled his hands downwards. _Pleaseworkpleaseworkpleasework._

He let loose the stored energy and grinned as he was pushed further through the air, though that quickly disappeared as he realized he didn’t account to make sure his trajectory was accurate, leading to him flying off to the right and face-planting into the dirt. _Needs work, but still viable._ He mentally noted.

* * *

Izuku dusted off his face and whipped out his notebook once more as the raven-haired girl, Yaoyorozu, created a pole out of her arm, pushing her further over the pit before she cut off the process. The metal tube smacked against the ground as she landed graceful on the other side. Dusting off her pants, she picked up her creation and dumped it next to the roller blades she had created for the sprint.

_Her potential is virtually limitless, I’m gonna need to reserve a big section for her._

Iida went up next, activating his engines and let out a small burst that pushed him near the edge of the pit.

_Maybe if he trains, he can let a stronger more powerful boost out, almost like a rocket._

He grinned as Uraraka removed her gravity, using the foot she kept close to the ground to push her floating body over the test. Releasing just as she hit the end and stumbling onto her feet as she clutched her stomach, hand holding her mouth close as she tried to manage her nausea.

_It looks like floating herself makes her nauseous as well._ He tapped the pencil against his chin as he recalled the video of the entrance exam, watching her fly through the air and snatch him from his descent, pushing her feet out to cushion the impact against the metal carcass of the zero-pointer before changing trajectory while carrying him to the ground below. _How come she didn’t get sick then? Note to self, ask her._

* * *

The side step was more of a test of his natural ability, granted he may have poured a small amount into his legs to catch up but for the rest it was his natural strength. But even then, he couldn’t compare to the ingenuity Mineta had shown. While he may have been complaining previously, his quick thinking during this challenge gave Izuku an idea of how the small teen had managed to get into the hero course.

* * *

The class stared at Uraraka in bewilderment as the infinity symbol popped up onto Aizawa’s screen, the ball itself having vanished into the atmosphere mere moments ago.

“That’s amazing, she literally got infinity.” Denki Kaminari, the blonde with the lightning bolt through his hair, whistled in amazement.

Aizawa nodded in approval, “Nice job. Midoriya, considering you already did yours we’ll skip you. Yaoyorozu you’re up.”

Nodding the creation-girl stepped into the ring, unbuttoning her top as she strode over. “She’s stripping! Come to-” Mineta’s sudden outburst was cut off by a sharp, wet slap. Tsuyu’s tongue slithering back as the purple-midget was left plummeting face-first into the ground. “Don’t be a creep, _ribbit_.”

“I’m pretty sure she just needs the surface area to create larger objects.” Izuku hummed as Yaoyorozu’s stomach glowed with a myriad of colors. As in response to his theory, a heavy thud echoed from her front, a cannon taking up half the ring. “Like I said, space.”

“You know, Greenie, you get all serious when quirks are involved, but you’re so…” The purple haired girl’s jacks spun around as she tried to place the word, “…weird, when you’re just talking.”

Izuku stared at Kyoka Jirou for a few seconds before he snapped back to reality, “O-oh, u-uh, well I just r-really l-like quirks – they h-h-help me focus s-s-sometimes.”

Her jacks leveled with his chest as she smirked, “And there he is. Though good to see you’re ok with nicknames.”

Izuku arched a brow, “Nicknames? Oh y-you mean Green.” He chuckled nervously, “A-a friend o-of mine already c-c-calls me that, so I’m k-kinda used to it.”

“And here I thought I was original.” She huffed playfully.

“Y-yeah well, I-I d-don’t mind either w-way. Y-you actually k-kinda remind me of her, though obviously younger.”

“Her.” Jirous’s smile once again turned into a smirk, one that Izuku quickly realized looked like a copy of Fetch and Cole’s. _Oh no._

“Does someone have a girlfriend, huh? And she’s older, guess it makes sense considering you look like a pro already, but who knew Greenie had game.” Her smirk only grew as Izuku’s face became more and more red; she was going to enjoy messing with him.

“U-u-u-uh…” Everything in his mind shutdown at the implications of her words. Him, and Fetch. No, never, she would sooner shoot him and he would rather get shot by her. She was a friend, a grumpy friend, but a friend none the less. But the thoughts were already in his mind and he could feel his face begin to burn.

“Everything alright?” Uraraka’s concerned voice allowed him some pull to recorrect his thoughts, though Jirou wasn’t having any of it – he didn’t know if it was intentional or not if he was being honest.

“Oh, Uraraka right?” She received a quick nod from the brunette, “We’re just talking about Midoriya’s girlfriend.”

Uraraka’s face burst into a deep shade of red as her hands began to inch towards her face, her quirk seconds away from taking effect. “G-g-g-girlfriend!?” She wasn’t sure why that came out louder than she intended, she was just thankful the explosive shot from Yaoyorozu’s cannon seemed to mask it from most of the group, only the red-head Kirishima and then pink girl with horns, Ashido hearing them. Though the latter gained a vicious glint in her eyes that screamed of trouble.

“I’m sorry, but did someone mention a girlfriend.” She grinned as she took in the blushing faces of both Midoriya and Uraraka, and immediately squealed in excitement “Oh, please tell me it’s you two!”

Izuku did his best to not just shutdown entirely, though the alternative was having smoke pour out as he attempted to make an answer, “w-w-w-wha…”

“We’re not dating!” Uraraka blurted out much faster than she should have.

Ashido pouted, “Darn, you two are cute together.” The pair lit up red further in response. Ashido twisted back over to Izuku who was beginning to sweat bullets under her predatorial gaze, a predator in deep pursuit of gossip. “So, who’s the lucky girl?”

“I-I’m not dating a-anyone!” He eeped out as she closed the distance between them.

“Uhuh, not buying it, talk.” Izuku spluttered at her forwardness, mentally cursing as she continued to push. Thankfully red hair and a pair of muscly arms gripped the pink girl from behind and began to drag her back, “I think that’s enough Ashido, it’s not manly to pry into someone’s life like that.” Kirishima lectured her as he dragged her away.

Mina pouted as her friend took her away from a juicy helping of news, “But GOSSIP!” She cried as he took her further into the group.

…

Izuku let out a tired sigh, “I need a bonfire.”

“Interesting choice of words, but alright Green, guess you get out of this one.” She winked as she walked over towards the front of the group as her name was called.

“This _one_?” He mumbled, though quickly deciding that was another day’s problems, he had a test to worry about.

Though a strange, quick cough alerted him to Uraraka standing next to him, face till slightly red. “So…uhh, do you… actually have a girlfriend.” She winced slightly as she realized that may have come across as weird, she was _just_ curious after all.

For some reason Uraraka asking him didn’t leave him a bumbling mess, instead he just blushed lightly, “Uh, no, Fetch m-means a lot to me, but definitely not in a romantic way. At best a grumpy sister who likes to mess with me.” Izuku laughed awkwardly as he rubbed his head.

Uraraka couldn’t help but giggle at his description, her mood turning humorous as he shifted the tone of the conversation, “I don’t have a sister so I wouldn’t know, but she sounds… interesting.”

“T-that’s one way to put it.” His smile softened as his eyes aged, memories she couldn't make out dancing through his emerald irises and diluting them, “She’s gone through a lot, especially over the past year, but she’s still so strong and never hesitates to help when needed, I admire her for it.”

“She sounds very inspiring.” Uraraka concluded for him, her voice becoming caring, “Is she the reason you’re becoming a hero?”

Izuku nodded, “She’s one of them. I-I have a lot of people who helped me get here… n-not all of them are still around anymore, but what they did for me means just as much now as it did then.” Somehow the small smile he gave her reminded her so much of the hero’s she used to watch on TV when she was little. Those that would save people, and even through all the horror, they would still smile and say it’s going to alright. “So, I have a lot of people as the reason for why I want to be a hero, but the main thing is that I want to be a hero who saves people with a smile on my face, not for money or fame, but because it’s the right thing to do.”

She couldn’t help but grin and feel her drive burn with motivation at his words, even if the last part caused a sharp stab of guilt and shame to enter her mind. _Not for money huh._ She pushed the feeling to side, instead she nodded approvingly before turning back to the test, Aizawa motioning for them to move back to the gym.

_There’s no time for doubts, not now, mom and dad are counting on me. Midoriya has his reasons, and I have mine._

* * *

The last three tests went by in a blink, with Kirishima and Midoriya tying for first place in the sit-up challenge, neither boy wishing to be out done as their competitive sides flared after they each reached a hundred. But Izuku had to give it to the hardening teen; he had been using _Smoke_ to heal his aching muscles to push further while the red-head had done it all through sheer will power. Though after reaching 400 Aizawa called it off to ensure they finished on time.

The seated-toe-touch was dominated by Ashido, her flexibility allowing her to bend at an angle that began to look slightly worrying. Mineta also had to be restrained after her top began to ride up.

And finally, the run was conquered by Yaoyorozu, Izuku may have had to chase Fetch around day in and day out, but human stamina and his dwindling smoke reserves versus an electric scooter could only go so far. Especially when another opponent has literal engines in his legs.

* * *

So there they all stood, staring at their tired teacher and waiting with bated breath as the pro finalized the results. He looked up from his phone and scanned the group before finally settling on addressing them as a whole, “These results are simply calculated by your positioning during the test.” He said bluntly before clicking a button, a holographic scoreboard appearing out of thin air and names filling the slots.

1st: Momo Yaoyorozu

2nd: Shoto Todoroki

3rd: Izuku Midoriya

4th: Tenya Iida

5th: Katsuki Bakugo

6th: Fumikage Tokoyami

7th: Mezo Shoji

8th: Mashirao Ojiro

9th: Ochako Uraraka

10th: Eijiro Kirishima

11th: Mina Ashido

12th: Rikido Sato

13th: Koji Koda

14th: Tsuyu Asui

15th: Yuga Aoyama

16th: Hanta Sero

17th: Denki Kaminari

18th: Kyoka Jirou

19th: Toru Hagakure

20th: Minoru Mineta

A wail filled the tense void as the small purple boy slumped to his knees, punching the ground as balled his hand into a fist. “Curse my character design!” He yelled into the void.

“I’m glad I made it, but I kinda feel bad for him.” Uraraka whispered to Midoriya who nodded in understanding.

Bakugo stared at the rankings, eyes shrunk and hands shaking. He was very quickly any and all sense of normalcy as his entire life had been turned upside down and smacked around, all in the space of one day. _5 th. _He had been forced to deal with the crap from last year, he had to face Deku having a quirk, had to restrain himself after he nearly beat. Only for him to _actually_ beat him. He needed to blow something up.

“By the way…” The turned to their teacher and immediately recoiled at the sadistic grin he was wearing, “No one’s getting expelled, that was just a practical ruse to make sure you went all out.” He wouldn’t deny the unbridled pleasure he felt at watching them suffer through that information.

“WHAT!!”

“Thank you, narrative!” Mineta cried to the heavens.

“He tricked us.” Iida stated scandalized, his faith in the education system of UA further worsening.

“Can’t believe he scared us like that.” Uraraka chuckled nervously but stopped at the confused face Midoriya was giving. “Everything alright, Midoriya?”

“Of course it was fake, if you took the time to think over it you would have seen it.” Yaoyorozu stated somewhat bluntly as she cupped her chin, a number of irritated glares being sent her way.

Izuku snapped out of whatever trance he was in and robotically pointed to their teacher, “But he expelled his entire class the first day of last year.” It was at that moment there was a lapse in noise, and every pair of eyes glued onto him as they attempted to decipher what he just said.

“C-could you repeat that.” Kaminari hesitantly asked as he felt himself begin to sweat again.

Izuku copied him, but instead due to the sudden attention, “He, uh, h-he expelled his e-entire class the f-first day of last year. I-it’s all o-on their r-r-records.”

Yaoyorozu gaped as she looked at her teacher, “S-sir?” she hoped the single word would warrant an answer.

The entire class followed her example, Aizawa simply stared at them in response.

…

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, timetables are in class, we’re done for the day.” He said dryly as he left the stunned teens on the field, smirking underneath his scarf. _Not a bad day._

_..._

“What just happened.” Kaminari questioned.

Once again, the silence and horrified faces were answer enough.

* * *

Zeke plopped himself down onto the stool surrounding the work station, the rest of the Conduits circling around it as Tsukauchi waited patiently for them to get settled. There was a tension in the air, the previous blow out hadn’t been resolved and it made itself known, the air electrifying even without the use of Cole’s power. Fetch looked visibly irritated, Eugene fidgeted with his jacket, and Cole glared directly at the detective who matched the look.

“So… you gonna tell us why you wanted to chat with us.” Zeke attempted to break the ice, the very cold and thick ice.

Tsukauchi continued glaring at Cole for a few seconds longer before taking a step back and crossing his arms. “We needed to talk; I would have done this weeks ago but I needed the heat to die down.”

“Heat?” Cole asked, “What heat? You’re a cop, what do you have to worry about?” He scoffed, still clearly pissed over the refusal to divulge information, regardless if he understood the detectives reasoning.

“No offense, _badge_ , but you aren’t exactly being hunted like us.” Fetch hissed.

Tsukauchi grit his teeth and restrained his emotions, “Hunted: no. But you forget that if anyone found out about _this._ ” He gestured tot their little gathering, “I would be arrested on the spot.”

“Then leave.” Fetch snapped.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to.”

“then why are you? I’m still waiting to hear what’s so important.” Cole said dryly, his agitation only increasing as the hostilities kept rising.

“It’s about Izuku.” He stared directly into Cole’s eyes and watched as the simmering frustration dissipated and was immediately replaced with concern.

“Talk.” Yet it wasn’t Cole that spoke first, instead Fetch slammed her hands on the table and stared the detective down.

“I was at the interrogation after the exam.” The groups eyes immediately widened as a horrible realization dawned on them.

“Interrogation?” Eugene asked hesitantly.

“They made him, Eraser Head made the connection between Rowe and Izuku the minute he saw him. That’s why there was an “interview”, they were discreetly interrogating him to see if he was either: The Smoker, or was at least, in some way connected to him.”

Zeke gripped his head as he controlled his breathing, “Green bean was right, they knew something.” He looked at the detective, “Why didn’t you say anything!?” He growled.

“I couldn’t, for all I knew I was under surveillance, Nezu is terrifyingly thorough.”

“But it went fine right, Izuku’s at UA, they never suspected anything.” Eugene quickly pointed out, the rest of them waiting for Tsukauchi to answer.

The detective breathed deep, “I did have to lie,” the conduits sucked in air, “But no, I’m relatively sure he’s fine now.”

They all exhaled as relief washed over them. The tense air dipping briefly as they each steadied their nerves.

Fetch quirked a brow, “But then why did you call us, just to tell us something that’s now irrelevant.”

“No… the vigilante angle was only one part of the interrogation.” He said bitterly.

…

“Then what was the other?” Cole hardened his nerves.

…

“Izuku… lied about something… that he shouldn’t have known, something that has nothing to do with Delsin. Hell, I don’t even know if _he_ knew he was lying, my quirk freaked out as soon as he responded.”

Fetch narrowed her gaze, “And that was.”

…

Tsukauchi breathed in deep. “Have any of you heard of the name, All For One?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: "Are You Ready to Rumble?" with Sledge (This will mean something later)
> 
> This chapter was largely me introducing the cast and giving an update on Izuku's current power level. As well as help establish motivation's and friendships.
> 
> And of course, Bakugo. I hope you can piece together why he's freaking out, and I hope i can work his character well to grow and face he reality of his actions.
> 
> See Ya.


	14. Are You Ready To Rumble!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku has an unpleasant discovery, gets a present and a lesson, and gets beaten on.

“Hey Zeke, I stopped by the shop but I saw it was closed and I couldn’t find the spare key. I just wanted to let you guys know my first day went better than I expected, my teacher did turn out to be Eraser head. We ended up having this test where the student in last place was going to be expelled. I passed, but then it actually turned out to be a ruse, but it wasn’t really because he expelled his entire class last year, which I already told you but…” Izuku paused as he realized he was rambling. _They’re probably busy, am I bothering them?_ “A-a-anyway, I hope everything is alright, uh, let me know if I can stop by after school tomorrow, I don’t want to disturb anyone if you’re busy. Say hi to everyone for me, bye.”

Izuku clicked off the voice message, his phone pinging as the message sent.

After the reveal that so many of his classmates were inches away from being expelled on their first day, the class had mutely moved to change and pick up their curriculums. Mineta looked both pleased that he had been deemed worthy enough to stay, and absolutely horrified that, if circumstances were different, he would have packed up and never returned. Yaoyorozu looked equally as shell-shocked, her pride cracking at the discovery.

Izuku on the other hand was speechless, and not entirely due to the expulsion factor being real either – he had tackled those emotions when it was first put forward to them. No, what shocked him was his placing.

3rd.

He had come third. He placed higher than Iida, Uraraka, Shouji, the red-head Kirishima, Ashido, so many people. Even Bakugo. A chill shot up his spine and goosebumps formed on his arms.

_I beat Bakugo._

_I **beat** Bakugo._

_I beat **Kacchan.**_

****

He smiled giddily, and if anyone asked, he wouldn’t deny that his ego felt like the size of the sun and burned just as bright. After 11 years he had finally had a win over Bakugo. He had done better than Bakugo with only a year of training, he had done _more_ in a year than Bakugo had done since he got his quirk.

_A_ win.

He blinked and his smile fell, his over-inflated moment of pride crashing down as that thought registered.

He had one win, Bakugo had dozens. He got lucky this time; he was still untested in an actual combat scenario against the explosive teen. There were still so many situations where _Explosion_ was more useful, more powerful than _Smoke_. He had just done his first lap while Bakugo was already on his 15th.

He shook the thoughts from his mind. He wasn’t here to beat Bakugo, he had nothing to prove to his ‘friend’, he wasn’t going to be like him. He was here to save people, that’s what mattered; not fame or glory, but being a hero.

He slumped back onto his bed as the exhaustion of the day finally took hold, the emotional stress from his first day and his teacher compounding to the point where he wasn’t sure he would be awake for supper.

The photo on his nightstand drew his attention.

It was him and his friends, all standing in front of the workshop table as Izuku proudly displayed his new gift. Zeke stood to his left while Cole was on his right, Fetch and Eugene standing on either side respectively. They had gotten one of Eugene’s angels to take the photo after Izuku had pleaded for Fetch to actually take part in it, going so far as to giving her his best puppy-dog eyes – evident by the slight scowl on her face.

_No, I’m not here to be number one, not anymore. I promised them I would save people, and that’s what I intend to do._

He focused on the item of clothing that was hugging his picture-self’s chest in the frame, his grin near face-splitting as the meaning behind it caused tears to well up, his green eyes shining as the camera went off and forever memorializing the moment. It had meant as much to him as it did when they gave him Delsin’s chain all those months ago. Except this was _his_.

_I can’t wait to wear that._

* * *

“So, who do you think is taking us for heroics?” Sero questioned to the group around him as the class patiently waited for their teacher to arrive. The long morning of arduous school work finally culminating in the excitement and nervousness for actual hero training during the afternoon.

Jirou continued to whirl her jacks as she shrugged while Kirishima cupped his chin.

“Got no clue man, I just hope we get to see some action today.” He pumped his fist and grinned.

Mineta shook in his seat as he used his quirk for a stress-ball, the purple material squishing between his fingers as he visibly paled, “I just hope they don’t threaten us with expulsion.”

Kaminari nodded robotically as he began to sweat, “Got that right, can’t believe Mr. Aizawa would have just expelled one of us like that.”

“Getting off topic.” Sero cut-in before the two boys descended into their nightmares any further. “I heard Cementoss does training for first years, so maybe it’s him, evidently he’s pretty mellow.”

Jirou let go of her jacks and spun around in her chair, turning the attention to a certain emerald-teen, “Hey green.”

Izuku looked over from his notebook, immediately growing nervous as Jirou began speaking to him.

_Please be merciful._

“You’re pretty good with quirks and hero stuff, who do you think's going to be teaching us?” She questioned.

Izuku visibly relaxed as the conversation turned out to be within his territory, “Cementoss is possible, but Mr. Aizawa, Vlad King, and Power loader are off the table. Maybe Present Mic, but he mostly handles General Ed students and we already had English with him today so I doubt its him, but then again, he could do double-lessons, they are all trained for…”

The group sweat-dropped as the smoke-user began to spew information, “How do you process all of that information so quickly?” Jirou poked his arm with her jack.

“O-oh, sorry.” Izuku chuckled bashfully, “Haven’t done that in a while… anyway I’m not sure, it’s just helps me manage my thoughts-”

“ **I AM-** ” Izuku’s laugh died as he recognized the booming voice echoing through the closed door, his palms clammed up and he felt the instinctive desire to run as fast as he could.

_Please no._

“- **COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!** ” All Might finished as he thrust himself through the door, hooking his fingers on the frame as the pushed his chest outwards.

_Dammit._

“ALL MIGHT!”, the class erupted in disbelief as the number 1 hero entered, walking animatedly as he kept up his million-yen smile.

_Of all the hero’s, it had to be him._ Izuku bit back his nerves and anxiety as All Might cast him a quick glance before taking up a position in front of the podium. Ever since that day Izuku’s obsessive nature over the Symbol of Peace had slowly dwindled as real role models entered his life, ones he could talk to and who actively helped him improve. Role models who turned into friends that encouraged and pushed him to be better every day. The only _real_ interaction he had with All Might was a dream-crushing answer and a swift exit, and that kind of advice didn’t leave a positive taste in the emerald-teens mouth.

He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the muscular-blonde hero, but he did know he wasn’t ready to face those emotions just yet.

He began to focus on his new teachers’ speech once he pulled a card from his pocket, the word: “ **BATTLE** ”, written across it.

“ **Today’s training will pull no punches!** ” He declared as he struck a pose.

Izuku could see the grin on Bakugo’s face widen at the declaration of actual combat exercises.

“ **But before that! One of the keys of being a hero nowadays is looking good!** ” He gestured over to the wall of the room as trays slid out the panels, boxes with numbers between 1 and 20 lining the shelves. “ **In those suitcases lie your costumes that you submitted before school began. When wearing them you will become your hero-persona, a protector of justice.** **Now then, get yourself suited up and meet me at training ground Beta.”**

The class burst to life, each rushing to grab their costume and make their way out to change. Izuku grabbed his box after most had already left, holding the protective casing tight as he began to make his way out. But before he could leave, he felt a large, powerful hand grab onto his shoulder.

_So close._

Izuku turned and gazed up at All Might, his usual smile now gone as he pursed his lips, the awkwardness of the situation radiating off his body in spades. “ **Young… Young Midoriya… I wanted to… I-** ” All Might struggled to find the right words. He had never been good at emotional confrontations, and this moment was no different as he fumbled his speech. Eventually deciding he wasn’t going to get anywhere just yet, the pro sighed as he released the admittedly buff teenager, “ **I just wanted to say that I’m glad you made it.** ”

_And not that you’re sorry for what happened on the roof._ A darker part of Izuku’s mind snapped back, though that still remained tight within the shadows, out of view of the emerald teen as he shook his head – dispelling the cold drum of blood that had begun to pound in his ears. Instead, he gave an awkward smile, nodding before he made his way to the change room.

* * *

All Might sighed as he watched Midoriya disappear around the corner, “I suck at feelings.” He grumbled as he massaged his brow, his voice significantly more deep and tired than when he addressed the class.

“No one really understands them to begin with so you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.” A chipper, high-pitched voice squeaked from behind him. All Might spun around into a boxer’s stance as he addressed the threat-

Nezu stood with his hands clasped behind his back and grinning mischievously as Toshinori marginally relaxed.

_Still a threat._

“You heard that?” He asked the chimera.

“I did indeed.” Nezu nodded, “Still feeling guilty over suspecting him to have a connection with All for One, I take it?”

“Y-yes.” Toshinori nodded as a wave of guilt washed over him. _Among other things._

“Well, we cannot fret over the past, what’s done is done and we can only push forward from here.” Nezu advised as he moved towards the podium. “Now, I suggest you get a move on; you do have a class to teach.”

Toshinori turned his head to the door as he began to psyche himself up for his first lesson, “ **Any pointers-** ” He turned to ask the principal, only to find no one there and no secret hatch closing, only the light scampering of feet echoing through the walls.

Toshinori shivered as he made his way to the training grounds.

* * *

Izuku navigated his way through the halls to the changing room, passing through students who either nodded at him approvingly once they saw the case, or glared at him in jealousy as they realized he was part of the hero course. Izuku’s mind was too preoccupied to pay notice to it.

_Glad you made it huh? He actually sounded guilty, and at least he remembered me, that’s a plus. Shows I wasn’t just a blip in his life that he forgot about after crushing- No! Enough with the pity party._ He slid into the men’s change room, a number of his class already packing away their clothes as they made their way to leave.

He walked over to his assigned locker, matching his case number with the plaque on the metal cabinet. Stripping out of his clothes to the bare minimum he reverently slid his case over to sit in front of him, the container gaining a strange sense of power over him as he thought over the fact that _his_ hero costume was lying within.

Deciding he had waited enough, he unlatched the clasps and opened it, his heart was racing with excitement as dark green came into view. He dived his hands in and pulled out the piece of clothing, the rough material felt comforting and awe inspiring in his hands. He flipped it around to inspect the back and grinned as the symbol came into view.

_Awesome._

A half white and red bird stared him down, challenging him to keep his vow, to be the kind of hero he said he was gonna be.

* * *

**_ 3 weeks prior: _ **

Izuku slipped through the front door of the shop, quickly returning the key to the fake brick on the outside before he closed it behind him.

Zeke had called him that morning saying they needed to see him. Izuku figured it was to talk about the interview considering he had been avoiding the shop, the itching paranoia that a hero might be following him hadn’t left over the weeks that followed his second visit to UA. So, he had resorted to essentially isolating himself into his room after messaging saying he passed and wouldn’t be able to talk for a while.

He may have forgotten how long he had decided a while should be.

Making his way to the workshop he felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end as he was inches from twisting the nob. _Please don’t tell me I’m about to step in on Detective Tsukauchi again._

Izuku waited patiently, focusing to hear if anything was being discussed beyond the metal separator.

“You coming in or what?” Fetch’s muffled voiced did nothing to hide the irritation it held.

Twisting the nob, he opened the door to the sight of all four of his friends standing around the central workbench, Zeke standing in the front, blocking the table and whatever happened to be sitting atop the metal surface. Not that Izuku noticed.

Cole smiled when the familiar green mop of hair entered the room, “How you doing kid?”

“Yeah, kinda just left us with the fact that you got in before you ghosted.” Zeke nodded along.

Izuku laughed awkwardly as he ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah, s-sorry about that, I-I was just worried they might have someone watching over me.”

“I thought you said the assho-”

“Fetch.” Cole cut in before she finished her sentence.

She clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes as she leaned onto the table, “I thought you said the _teachers-_ ” She stared directly at Cole as she drawled out the word, the electric-user rolling his eyes in response – Fetch was never one for authority, especially one that was willing to essentially interrogate a teenager, even if it was _just_ an interview. “-let you in without much problem.”

“Well, I mean, they did. But…”

“But…” The group sounded off at the pause.

“I was just worried. Principal Nezu is scary, it wouldn’t take much for him to put something together if he had the right facts.” He explained as he fiddled with his fingers.

“The rat?” Zeke inquired, his knowledge of the super-genius was limited to the sports festival UA held every year, but from what he did see; the creature’s intellect was astounding. And definitely a reason to be concerned

Izuku tilted his head in thought, “More like chimera, he looks like a mouse mixed with a dog and a small bear.”

Zeke chuckled, “Ok, yeah, then you were definitely right to be cautious, that thing is terrifying.”

“Ok enough with the fucking profile breakdown, what’d the dipshits want anyway?” Fetch switched the topic, her patients running thin as she glanced over at the box hidden behind Zeke.

“I thought we said were keeping it nice.” Eugene mumbled; Fetch snickered next to him.

“Oh, they just asked about how I got my quirk, and then if they needed to be concerned of any outbursts or not. Both went alright as far as I could tell. They really just asked me about what I could do at the end, though the principal was more interested in my notebook. Eraser head was the one taking notes.”

Eugene pushed the thought of a highly intelligent creature armed with Izuku’s meticulous power breakdowns out of his mind. _People now, apocalypse prepping later._

Cole shifted uncomfortably, “And what did you tell them about how you got your ‘Quirk’?”

“Just what was needed, no names, don’t worry.” Izuku assured them, though his shoulders sagged somewhat.

“I am worried.” Cole shrugged before locking eyes with the teen, “But more so about you. You’re still a kid, no matter how tall you are, or built you are, or whatever you’ve gone through… death is never easy, especially when you have to relive it again after the fact.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m alright. It was just a quick explanation; I didn’t dwell on it.” He smiled, putting on his best show. Izuku noted how Fetch’s features twitched, her look of irritation quickly dipping into something more somber before she corrected it.

Cole’s brow scrunched as he scrutinized Izuku’s display, though it quickly fell into a soft smile. Izuku worried that the normally stoic man was getting better at reading his feelings, realizing that Izuku wasn’t in the right space to talk about it.

“Eraser head? That’s the guy who can cancel out quirks, right?” Zeke half-turned his head towards Cole.

Cole nodded his head, “Yeah, we’ve had to dodge him a couple times, but I don’t think he’s someone to worry about – he hasn’t really seen us.”

“Closest the guy ever got to me was a roof top or two away before I bolted, hobo’s too slow to really catch up to that.” Fetch scoffed, the pro was a pain and an irritating one at that. He had been trailing them for years whenever he got the chance, and on more than one occasion they had to ditch an operation to avoid him.

“Well then, now that the unpleasantries are out of the way.” Zeke clapped his hand together as he grinned excitedly, “I think we can give you your present.”

“Present?”

Izuku’s look of confusion didn’t go unnoticed by Eugene, “You passed, we thought we’d get you something to celebrate.” He explained as Zeke stepped aside, revealing the medium-sized box sitting atop the workbench.

Izuku stuttered for a second before whipping his head around, “You didn’t have to-”

“We wanted too, alright. You worked your ass off Green, you blew up a fucking skyscraper for Pete’s sake, just accept it.” Fetch’s normally pissed off voice was offset by her smirk, her excitement for this just as evident as the rest of the group.

Izuku blushed as his face split into a grin, “You guys are the best.”

“Just open the damn thing!” She barked.

_There she is._ He thought as he made his way to the package, his hands dancing over the container before gently lifting the lid off.

He was met with a wall of green and dark leather, the sections of emerald separated by dividers of black. He lifted the jacket out of its box, the material quickly flopping outwards as the arms flared and Izuku got his first good look at it. The entire front was green, as were the outer sections of the shoulders and arms, both divided by a strip of black that ran from the collar down to just above the hip section. It looked amazing, it looked almost like-

“Wait…” Izuku swung his head to Cole then back to the jacket, and then back to Cole one last time. “…this kinda looks like yours.” Izuku’s eyes widened as he realized it didn’t _just_ look like his, it was, in fact, a green replica of Cole’s usual attire.

Cole grinned as Izuku put the pieces together, “Basically is, though a bit tougher considering we custom ordered the lining to be more durable, and since I’ve been wearing this jacket for years, you can bet that it can take a hit.” He proudly proclaimed as Izuku’s stared in awe at the new garment.

“Still a little egotistical if you ask me.” Zeke muttered to the side, still pissed that his idea of a rad new pair of sunglasses had been rejected so quickly.

Izuku looked up at the group, teary-eyed as his heart swelled, “You guys are awesome.”

“Yeah, we know, now turn it around.” Fetch instructed as her mood became more subdued.

Izuku spun his new jacket around, curious as to what Fetch meant as he came face-to-face with a dual-coloured bird, the left side a soft-white that contrasted strongly with dense-red of the right side. He couldn’t help be mesmerized by the symbol. “What does it mean?” He asked as he continued to examine it.

“Well…” Zeke righted himself, momentarily tossing aside his pettiness to help explain, “That’s an image of Karma. You know, the left shows good karma, the right side bad? Every good action versus every bad one?” Izuku nodded his head as he waited for Zeke to continue. “Del used to wear it, never really told us why but we kind of put two and two together over time. Pretty sure he wore it as a reminder. Every action, every choice you make has a reaction to the world around you. Sacrifice yourself to save a kid today and they grow up to save a thousand more having been inspired by you; leave them to die to save yourself and watch as everyone they would have rescued meets the same fate.”

Izuku absorbed every word with rapt attention, one of Zeke’s rare speeches dousing Izuku’s already blazing inferno of determination with even more fuel. “But on the opposite end, sometimes evil is needed in order for good to prosper. Ending the life of a villain, while removing their chance of redemption, may make the world a safer place. The same as if you save them and they go on to kill dozens more. There is good, and there is bad, but they aren’t exclusive to either side. Karma represents the decisions _we_ make throughout our lives, this…” He pointed to the bird, “Represents those choices, one side works towards a better tomorrow, while the other takes a step back into anarchy. Del made his choice over time. Now it’s up to _you_ to decide which is which, this is your Karma.”

…

The entire room was quiet, its occupants left stunned as Zeke finished. Izuku’s hands felt heavy as the symbol in front of him, much like his chains, just gained that much more of a meaning to not just him, but the people who had given it to him in the first place. _I really do owe them so much._ He smiled softly as he quickly rubbed the tears from his eyes in fear of wetting the leather. “Thank you, I promise I won’t let you down.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but in the wake of Zeke’s speech, all four of the other occupants could hear it as though Izuku was screaming it from the rooftop.

“We know you won’t, kid.” Cole nodded, his own pride in his younger-friend growing by leaps and bounds once again. He shot a thumbs up to his friend, one who he was definitely buying a beer for later. “Nice speech by the way, Zeke.”

“It’s what I do man, got a wealth o’ wisdom behind the shades.” Zeke dusted off his shoulder, grinning smugly as his eyes shone from behind his glasses.

“You got that off of the internet, didn’t you?” Zeke nearly punched Eugene for his quip.

* * *

All Might stared out at the entrance way as his students began to march into the fake city, costumes and armor donned as they strode forward. He couldn’t help the feeling of nostalgia taking over as he thought over his first days at UA, coming out to train to be the best heroes they could be.

He shivered as the memory of a white and yellow costume pummeling him into the ground came to the fore front as well.

“ **They say: “The clothes make the pros” young ladies and gentleman, behold as you are the proof today!** ” He exclaimed as they all filed out, taking positions in front of the number 1 hero. “ **So, remember this: as of today, you are all HEROES in training!** ”

_Man, they all look so cool. I’m getting fired up!_ Toshinori thought as he scanned over the crowd, taking in each and every one of their costumes. Young Iida’s suit of armor that did little to dissuade any connection to his family line, Young Shouji’s skin tight suit that assisted movement of his Dupli-arms, Young Aoyama’s flamboyant knights-armor, Young Yaoyorozu’s…

His mind screeched as he made a mental note to check with Midnight if the creation-users costume did _actually_ meet the standard requirement for exposed skin. _Last thing she needs is a lawsuit like Kayama received in her early days._

Bookmarking that for later he struck a pose, flaring out his chest as he expanded his grin, “ **Now then, shall we get started, you bunch of Newbies!** ”

* * *

_I’m late!_ Izuku mentally screeched as he ran through the tunnel towards the training ground. He had been so caught up in his memories that he only worsened his already considerable lag behind his classmates.

He zipped us his jacket, the green material sitting comfortably across his broad frame as his chain clanked against the zip, his jerkish movements jostling the metal. Straightening out the leather as best he could, he flung the utility belt over around his back and secured the latch that ran across his hip, feeling the strap tighten against his waist. He adjusted the pads that sat atop the kneecaps of his pants as the light at the end of the tunnel began to expand, the highly-strengthened fiber that made up the dark jean-like pants he was wearing slightly bunching up around his red-shoes.

He may have stolen a few design choices from Cole, not that anyone would know that, outside of their small group anyway.

Ensuring that everything was in place, he finally made it through the arch, the light blinding him for a second before his eyes adjusted – at which point he immediately froze up as all heads turned to the new arrival.

_Yup, I’m late._

“S-s-sorry, had to s-sort through m-my stuff.” He squeaked out as his face burned red from embarrassment.

All Might cleared his throat to regain the attention of the group, “ **First days can be tricky, not to worry, we hadn’t started just yet. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.** ” He lectured while simultaneously hiding his embarrassment at having been partly responsible for the green-students lateness. _Feelings should not conflict with your student’s heroic teachings, c’mon All Might._ Toshinori internally berated.

Izuku nodded in understanding as he moved into the pack of students, quietly scanning the group and letting his mind whir with the potential applications with every new suit he saw – the sheer awe of the whole situation leaving him stunned at everyone’s designs and choices.

His eyes eventually landed on brown hair and a pink helmet situated on the opposite side from where he was standing. _Basic covering of the front, though interesting design choice, is it pushing down on pressure points in her skull to suppress nausea?_

“ **Right then, we can finally begin with combat training!** ” All Might announced as he gestured to the city around them.

An armored hand shot out from the pack, a full, sleek metal suit emerging from the front, “Sensei, considering this is the city from our entrance exam, am I right to assume we will be partaking in urban combat scenario’s?” The familiar voice of Iida questioned.

Izuku stared, dumb-founded and giddy at the sight of Iida’s full body-armor, exhausts sprouting from his leg to funnel his quirk, and a thick metal helmet and chest piece for maximum protection. _His suit looks streamlined, definitely to maximize his speed. He looks awesome! But it also looks so familiar._

All Might laughed appreciatively at his student’s eagerness before addressing the inquiry, “ **We are actually going to be moving two steps ahead.** ” He punctuated his sentence by flashing an out-stretched peace sign, “ **Most villain fights take place outside, in the open** , **and most commonly involve low-ranked thugs who got unlucky. However, statically speaking, the highest profile villains are typically acting in-doors. Stash houses, lairs, hideouts, backroom deals. All of these are hidden within the shadows of the city. As such we are going to be splitting you into teams of two! Heroes versus villains, battling it out inside one of these buildings for today’s exercise.** ”

“Sensei.” Asui approached the front, “This is a little advanced for beginners, isn’t it?”

“ **You may be correct, Young Asui, however you don’t have time to take it slow – you are here to be heroes, and the best way to improve is through first-hand experience of these kinds of situations! You won’t be fighting mindless robots this time, now you are going against actual people who know how to use theirs quirks!** ” All Might rubbed his nose smugly at his strong answer.

_Not so bad at this teaching thing after all._

And then the questions started.

“Sensei, will you be determining the victors?” Yaoyorozu inquired.

“How much damage can we do to the other teams?” Bakugo questioned nonchalantly.

“Are we gonna get expelled if we fail?” Uraraka hesitantly asked, Mineta and Kaminari both nodding their heads rapidly in agreement.

“Will the teams be made based on skill or pure chance?” Iida raised his hand once more.

“Isn’t this cape fabulous?” All Might had to physically restrain himself from going to get a drink as he processed the last question.

“ **Let me finish!** ” He croaked out as he pulled a piece of paper from one of his hidden pockets.

Izuku stared, slightly disappointed, but far more amused as All Might began reading off of a script. _Guess Fetch was right, don’t meet your role models in real life._ He felt his eye twitch as the number one heroes posture became more slouched as he continued explaining the bomb-capture exercise. _Everybody’s human Izuku, heroes are no different._

“ **…the villains will hide their bomb on one of the many floors of the building, the hero team – after a strategy phase – will enter and attempt to either incapacitate the villains or capture the bomb by touching it. Likewise, the villains succeed if they defend for long enough, or capture the heroes.** ” All might pulled out a small box with the word ‘Lots’ written across it, “ **NOW LETS DRAW!** ”

“Makes sense, can’t always plan who you meet in one of these situations, so working at random assists with adapting to new quirks now so it’ll be easier when we became real heroes later.” Izuku muttered as Iida lowered his hand, his question that he was about to put forward now answered.

“Green you’re muttering again.” Jirou lightly jabbed a jack into his side, though grew disappointed as it barely sunk in, the material absorbing the impact and leaving Izuku mostly unphased. Though it did its job as he lifted his head due to the soft poking sensation from his abdomen.

“What’s wrong?”

Jirou shook off her disappointment, crossing her arms and huffing half-heartedly, “You’re muttering again, weirdo.”

Izuku blinked before he coughed, realization striking at what he had been doing, “O-oh s-sorry, been d-doing that a lot more lately. I-I’ll try to s-stop.”

“it’s fine, just talk to someone when you do it rather than just standing by yourself, less weird that way.” Her jacks shrugged in response. “Also makes us feel less stupid.” She muttered to the side.

“Right.” He smiled and she resisted the urge to cover her eyes.

* * *

Team A: Izuku Midoriya/Kaminari Denki

Team B: Mezo Shouji/Shoto Todoroki

Team C: Ochako Uraraka/Momo Yaoyorozu

Team D: Bakugo Katsuki/Tenya Iida

Team E: Mina Ashido/Yuga Aoyama

Team F: Koji Koda/Rikido Sato

Team G: Minoru Mineta/Jirou Kyoka

Team H: Fumikage Tokoyami/Asui Tsuyu

Team I: Mashirao Ojiro/Toru Hagakure

Team J: Hanta Sero/Eijiro Kirishima

Izuku took his place next to the blonde who shot him a quick smile and a finger gun, “Excited to work with you dude.”

Izuku nodded in appreciation, “S-same here.”

“ **And the first teams to fight will BE!** ” All Might rummaged his hands through two boxes, one labeled ‘villain’ and the other ‘hero’. Gripping two lots he pulled out the spheres and showed them to the class. “ **THESE GUYS!** ”

Izuku grinned as he saw the two letters, and upon turning to the barely visible head of his opponent, he recoiled in fear as he caught a glimpse of raw fire and determination. _Why do I have a bad feeling she’s going to hurt me more than Cole ever did._

Kaminari stared at the two balls. “A and C, huh. So, we’re up against the girl who can create anything and who’s costume shouldn’t be legal, and the girl who could throw us into orbit with one hand.” He turned to the much larger teammate, who looked equally as concerned. “You realize this is gonna hurt, right? Like a lot?”

“ **You have 10 minutes to prepare.** ”

Izuku stared at the cheerful expression Uraraka now had on, a complete 180 as to what he saw a moment ago. He watched as Uraraka and her teammate stepped out from behind the larger forms of Sato and Shouji, Izuku getting his first good look at the pair. And nearly choking on air as he saw their suits in their entirety for the first time.

Yaoyorozu’s highly-revealing, red unitard left nothing to the imagination. He knew this was for her quirk, she needed the surface area, and he did ignore the fact that she had opened up her top the day before. But at least then he couldn’t see her front!

His face burst into red and smoke poured out as he took in Uraraka’s suit. While Yaoyorozu left nothing to the imagination – and reminded him far too much of those early edition photos of Midnight – Uraraka’s hugged every part of her body, striking a balance between function and so much form.

Izuku creaked his head towards Kaminari and nodded dumbly. “Yup.”

* * *

“So-” Yaoyorozu began as Uraraka released her quirks hold over the faux bomb, placing the device in the corner of one of the top floors, creating as much room between the entry point and them as possible. Four pillars divided the room into sections, four windows looking in from the outside. “You are familiar with Midoriya, correct?” She asked the gravity-girl.

“Y-yeah, we met at the entrance exam, and we talked occasionally since then.” Uraraka turned to the much taller girl. “We’re friends, but we haven’t really practiced together and I’ve only really seen him fight once, so my knowledge is still kinda limited.”

“Is there anything that you are aware of that we might be able to use against him?” Yaoyorozu questioned as she began to produce pieces of equipment; flash bangs, a metal staff, and a pair of smoke grenades.

“Midoriya is smart, he analyses quirks faster than anyone I’ve ever met, and he’s powerful. When he’s in combat he switches and becomes strangely confident, so I’m sure he won’t hesitate if we give him an opportunity.” She went through all the memories she had that included him showing off one of his talents. “He is always assisting others where he can, he’s helpful, he risks everything he can to save to those in trouble, he wants nothing more than to be a hero.” Her voice began to grow quieter as she spoke, finally ending with her last sentence being inaudible to the raven-haired girl next to her.

“Uraraka.” Yaoyorozu called to break the girl out of what appeared to be an in-depth analysis of the smoke-user.

Uraraka jumped as she was pulled back to reality, blushing as recalled her train of thought, “Sorry, got distracted.”

“Its fine, getting lost in strategies is common. But we need to focus, we know very little about our opponents and we need to plan accordingly. Now, are there any weapons you need to me to create for you. From what you said I can tell if we let Midoriya draw out the fight he would analyze our tactics and adapt, so we should limit our engagement as much as possible. The same applies for Kaminari, we have no idea what his quirk is and therefore should prevent any surprises. An ambush would be our best bet.”

“But we don’t know where they are going to be.” Uraraka pointed out.

Yaoyorozu smiled knowingly, “No, but we do know they have to come the bomb at some point, so we take them _here_. It’s risky but effective, and we won’t have to waste time moving around.”

The pink-suited girl blinked in amazement, “You’re really clever, you know that, right?”

Yaoyorozu dipped her head appreciatively, “Thank you. Now what will be your weapon of choice be?” She punctuated the statement by cocking a shotgun she had produced.

Uraraka gripped her chin behind her visor as she thought over what she could work for her. Up until now the only weapon she had used was the arms and legs of the robots in the exam, in all other situations she had relied on dropping enemies by getting in touching distance. She scanned the room around them, hoping to find inspiration amongst all the oddities.

Her gaze finally landed on one of the support pillars and a light bulb went off. _It’s not load-bearing._ She spun around excitedly to the other girl. “You wouldn’t by chance know how to make a concrete saw and sledge hammer would you?”

Yaoyorozu let the shotgun hang at her side as she attempted to decipher what the gravity-girl was going to do. “I do, both are useful for breaching, but I don’t think we should use a saw on our classmates. Regardless if we’re villains or not.”

Uraraka laughed nervously as she waved her hands, “No, no, I want to use it on that.” She pointed to the corner of the room.

Momo’s eyes shot open as she finally put together what Uraraka wanted to do, sweat trickling down her forehead as she looked at the excited smile of the chest-nut girl. “Will the room hold-”

“It won’t cause any damage, as far as I can tell, it’s purely aesthetic.”

“How do you know that?” Momo shifted uncomfortably.

“My parents own a construction company, I picked up a thing or two.”

“Still, isn’t that overkill?” She asked wearily.

Uraraka shrugged, “We’re supposed to be villains right, so why not really play the part?” Her eyes began to burn with the thrill of determination, “Now, let’s do some renovating.”

* * *

“So, you can expel electricity from your body, but you can’t control it’s pathing?” Izuku queried as Kaminari finished explaining his powers to him.

The blonde in question shrugged, “Pretty much, and if I use too much it fries my brain and I go into ‘dumb mode’ for a while.”

“Ever thought of a conductor for it?”

“Conductor, like a grounding rod?” He asked, his interest beginning to rise.

“Y-yeah.” Izuku shifted from one foot to another, “Like a piece of m-metal to surge it through, or g-grounding rod like you said, t-to help control it. I know a g-guy who used a tuning fork to h-help concentrate his quirk.”

Kaminari’s eye’s widened in realization, the boy in front of him making him feel as though he had fried his brain without even using his abilities. He surged forward and gripped the taller teen by his arms, Izuku blushing red at the close proximity, “You’re a genius dude, why didn’t I think of that!?” He let go of Izuku, the green-teen letting a breath of relief loose as space was created once more. But was left speechless when Kaminari raised a fist and grinned at him, “Thanks dude, I’ll have to ask Mr. Aizawa if I can speak to anyone about that.”

“U-u-uh, s-sure.” Izuku returned the gesture, smiling awkwardly as he tried to find a way to shift his focus. Deciding to get to planning, he pulled out the piece of paper All Might had provided them and began to go read through it.

“So, what do you rate our chances are?” Kaminari asked as he stared up at the office block in front of them.

“Uraraka is strong, she could essentially neutralize either one of us with one touch, on top of that she’s quick to adapt and she’s driven. We can’t under estimate her or she could single-handedly take us both out. Yaoyorozu’s potential is virtually limitless, she could adapt and thrive under any situation. She could just blow up the building if she wanted to.” Izuku analyzed as he went over the building plans.

“Helpful.” Kaminari laughed nervously, “What would you do… if you we were the villain team I mean?”

“Lure the heroes in, blow a hole in a back wall on the opposite side of where the bomb was, escape and then blow the building.” He stated without hesitation before folding the plans away and beginning to examine the outside of the structure.

“Glad I’m on your team.” Kaminari visibly shivered. _That analysis is scary._

“But we can’t do any of that, so I would limit my movements. Place the bomb at the furthest point and wait it out. Let them exhaust themselves and waste time while they do it.”

“Anyone ever told you that you get really serious when you go into ‘detective mode’”

“Jirou.” He said absentmindedly as an idea began to form.

“Right, she’s pretty blunt that way, but she’s also kinda mellow too. You guys seem to hit it off pretty quick, plus you’re also friends with Uraraka…” Kaminari’s attempt at a distraction from his nerves was drowned out as something in Izuku’s mind drew his attention to features of the building. Window-sills, pipes, exposed bricks, every piece that stood away from the main structure drew his gaze. More specifically, the drainage pipe that ran the length of the building in the alley.

“Can you detect bio-electricity?” He interrupted Kaminari, quickly attempting to find a solution to their information gathering dilemma.

“You mean the electricity our body naturally gives out?”

“Yeah.” Izuku stepped closer, “Can you sense it in any form?”

Kaminari took a step back, “A-ah, how would I even begin to do that?” he asked with his hands raised, desperately trying to create space between the two.

“Never mind.” Izuku nodded his head as he began to reach for the comm to the observation room, “Sensei?”

A quick burst of radio static came through before All Might’s powerful voice crackled out, [ **Yes, Young Midoriya?** ]

“We’re not allowed to _enter_ the building until the prep phase is over, right?”

[ **Yes, so long as you don’t enter the premises you can move around the outside… I see, clever.]** Even over the communicator, All Might couldn’t disguise the clear chuckle and impressed tone that came through.

****

Thank you, Sensei.” He clicked off as he turned to his partner, grinning as his adrenaline began to pump and the familiar sense of a fight washed away everything else around him. “I have a plan. And I’m gonna need you to be on lookout”

Kaminari didn’t know whether to reciprocate Midoriya’s excitement, or shiver in fear.

* * *

“Is that even allowed?” Mina asked as she and the rest of the class watched Midoriya scale the side of the building, leaping from whatever hold he could grab onto to another before flinging himself further up. He moved as though his muscles were pistons, bunching up when he was hanging, then exploding outwards as he shot forward. But the truly strange part was the terrified form of Kaminari desperately holding onto his back as they climbed upwards.

“ **Technically, yes. The specifications of the set-up phase prohibited them from entering the building, climbing the outside to gather information or to find another entry point are still well within the guidelines. Even if it did require some… creative thinking.** ” He chuckled amusedly as he watched Kaminari climb off Midoriya’s back with shaky legs. “ **And that’s precisely what you should all be looking for, out-of-the-box ways to improve your chances in a situation.** ”

“But sensei!” Iida shot is hand up even though he was standing directly next to their teacher. “Surely passing through such under handed methods is not becoming of a hero.”

“ **Maybe not, but when the odds are against you, sometimes even a hero has to strike a low blow to ensure they win the day.** ” The subtle itch of his arm came to mind as he thought about what he’d had to do ensure victory, to ensure that the _world_ would be safer.

Iida stood at attention before bowing towards All Might, “I understand, I apologize for my lack of foresight.”

“ **Think nothing of it.** ” All Might waved off his apologies as he addressed the class as a whole, “ **There is nothing wrong with an honorable fight, however you should always keep in mind that any situation might call for you to do something you wouldn’t normally consider. You must be prepared for such occurrences at all times.** ”

“Yes, Sensei.” The group responded.

Satisfied, All Might focused back to the simulation while internally patting himself on the back for yet another successful teaching success. A quiet beeping alerted him to the time running out, and to the battle trial officially beginning.

* * *

[ **STUDENTS! YOU’RE TIME STARTS NOW!** ]

All Might announced, his voice echoing out the speakers as Izuku and Kaminari slipped into the building from the roof. The pair weaving quietly through the halls as they made their way through the structure.

“So, you saw it in the back right corner, right?” Izuku asked, his voice lower than his usual tone.

“Well, I saw these steel-beams supporting the door, and I didn’t see anything else and I had a pretty good view for the second we were still. So, yeah, pretty sure they’re in there.” Kaminari nodded, his legs still slightly wobbling from the terrifying experience of piggy-backing Midoriya as he essentially turned into a monkey while climbing the exterior.

“It’s our only lead, so let’s get moving. And remember, no massive discharges, we can’t risk failing because the output would have set off the bomb if this were real.” The pair increased their pace to a slow jog as they continued to their target, finally coming up on a metal door at the end of a hallway.

Izuku motioned for Kaminari to stop, the smoke-user moving to examine the outside for any surprises that Yaoyorozu may have put in place. Satisfied that the exterior was clear, he signaled for his blonde teammate to stack up on the door. Once Kaminari was in position, Izuku grabbed his attention as he placed his hands on the door, spreading his fingers and palm flat over the surface he tensed them to symbolize a zapping gesture and prayed Kaminari picked up on what he meant.

Kaminari stared, confused as his partner continued to shake his fingers along the metal surface, his eyes squinting as he kept glancing between himself and the door. He was about to ask if the door was electrified before it clicked that he was asking _him_ to send a shock through the metal. _Does he think somethings on the other side? Or is he just being cautious?_

Deciding to save the questions for later, Kaminari took his place, pressing his palms against the door as he sent a small charge through the metal. After a second of no sound beside the crackle emanating from his hands, Izuku tapped his shoulder and gestured for him to move back. Moving to the side, Kaminari watched as Izuku took up a fighting stance in front of the entrance, twisting his wrist, he let his chain slip down to cover his knuckles as he gripped it in his palm. He cocked back his fist and let his quirk swirl around the appendage.

His muscles bulged and twitched as he kept pouring in more power. Once he felt he had enough, he lifted his other hand and began counting down on his fingers from three, Kaminari lowering his stance to be ready for action as Izuku tightened his shoulder.

As his last digit balled into a fist he swung forward, his smoke exploding out as the door shot forward, the supports behind it crumpling under the sudden and powerful attack. The door slammed into a pile of boxes that had been converted into a make-shift barricade, Izuku briefly catching Yaoyorozu’s red suit rolling to the side to avoid any damage.

Taking the opportunity to catch her out of position, Izuku bolted through the door and into the room. But as his body past the threshold, every last one of his nerves stood on end, and he barely had enough time to take-in the rapidly approaching pillar of concrete to the left of his peripheral vision, or Uraraka shouting her apologies before the slab of building made contact.

Due to the sheer mass and velocity of the object – mixed with his speed as he was entering – Izuku was catapulted through the window to his right, shattering the glass as his arms flailed wildly, clawing for any kind of grip-point to prevent him from plummeting to the street below.

His fingers found purchase on a stray window-sill a few floors down, the sudden stop causing his body to swing through the window below, feet first, as glass broke around him once again. He fell for a second more before his back made contact onto the hard ground. Leaving him sprawled out on the floor, groaning as his head spun from the last few chaotic moments that left him four stories down and covered in glass and debris.

_Ow._

* * *

The entire observation room stared, unnerved, as they watched one of their classmates get swatted out a window and tumble down several stories as if the resident gravity-manipulator had been playing a round of baseball.

Mina raised a shaky hand, “S-sensei, is _that_ allowed?”

“ **U-uh**.” All Might watched Midoriya crash through a window during his descent, the green-teen landing with a heavy thump several stories below from his teammate and the objective. He was impressed at Uraraka’s ingenuity, as well as Yaoyorozu’s extensive knowledge on the atomic make-up on such a wide variety of tools. But the thing that truly amazed him was the fact that, despite having been sent flying out of a building and crashing down however many floors below, Midoriya was still trying to get up – and somewhat succeeding to as he got a leg under himself as he lifted himself off the ground. _They’ve all got drive, that’s for sure._

“Sensei?” A pair of floating gloves called his name.

All Might fought the natural reaction to jump back as Hagakure’s… hands appeared next to him, instead clearing his throat as he regained his composure. “ **Yes, well, Midoriya appears to still be largely uninjured so I’ll allow it. A normal group of villains wouldn’t give the heroes one inch, so Young Uraraka’s actions are keeping in line with the context of the exercise.** ”

_Though that’s definitely one way to kick off the first battle._

* * *

Uraraka stared at the broken window as a mess of green hair disappeared behind it, gravity taking hold of his body as a fall turned into a quick and painful plummet downwards. Another breaking of glass snapped the group out of their stupor, Yaoyorozu raising her shotgun and firing off a bean bag towards Kaminari.

The electric-teen yelped as he dived to the side, taking cover behind the broken door and smashed boxes as the projectile whizzed past him. “A shotgun!? Really?!” He yelled as another bean-bag impacted the wall behind him.

“It’s only bean-bags, it’ll hurt but otherwise you should be alright!” Yaoyorozu called back as she cocked the gun once more and let off another shot.

Uraraka finally gained her senses as everything came into focus. Discarding the half of the pillar that was left after her first attack, she charged towards Kaminari, hands out stretched as she readied to use her quirk.

The heavy breathing of a girl alerted Kaminari to the fact that he needed to move, dodging to the side as Uraraka’s outstretched hand made contact with a crate behind him. The box lifting off the ground as he put distance between them while avoiding Yaoyorozu’s endless supply of attacks.

He bobbed and weaved as Uraraka continued to swipe at him, all the while he avoided Yaoyorozu’s attempts at knocking him down, both working in tandem to move him further and further away from the bomb. He was so busy avoiding them he barely had time to activate his quirk. His body only fizzling with small traces before he had to move out of the way yet again.

Uraraka grabbed a stray box and flung it towards him. Kaminari rolled out of the way as it exploded behind him, wire spilling out onto the floor as wood chips rained around him.

“Can’t a guy… get… a BREAK!” He yelled out through gritted teeth as he ducked under another bean-bag before rolling away from Uraraka once more. His heavy breathing brought attention to the fact that he was growing more and more tired with every movement, and soon he wouldn’t be fast enough to avoid being taken out. Uraraka was propped up against a wall as she regained her breath, also clearly tired from the game of cat and mouse, but Yaoyorozu was fine, all she needed to worry about was being accurate. He balled his fists as the frustration of the situation finally got to him.

He was on the opposite end of the room from his objective and between Uraraka’s close swipes and Yaoyorozu’s _SHOTGUN_ , there was no way he was getting across anytime soon.

“Alright then, you asked for it!” He exclaimed as he let electricity dance between his fingers, raising his hands up as he prepared to cover the room in lightning, “INDISCRIMATE SHOCK-”

_“And remember, no massive discharges, we can’t risk failing because the output would have set off the bomb if this were real.”_

“Dammit!” He ducked another shot as he remembered Midoriya’s words. He couldn’t let off an attack for risk of failing due to activating the weapon. Instead, he hid behind a broken crate, Uraraka still finding her second wind allowed him a moment of reprieve as all parties ceased any movement.

“Give up Kaminari, you’re outnumbered and surrounded, and we both know you can’t keep doing this forever!” Yaoyorozu offered him an escape from the situation as she readied her weapon once again. If he was telling the truth, he was ready to accept it. Midoriya had been physically removed the second they stepped through the door, and this game of dodging with no means of fighting back was hopeless. He was running out of energy, and now he was cornered with no means of retreat.

“Dammit!” He slammed his hand against the box next to him, the clanking of metal against concrete following as his fist went though the cheap wood. He turned his head as a pile of metal rods spilled out over the floor.

_“Ever thought of a conductor for it?”_

He blinked as an idea began to form.

_“Like a piece of m-metal to focus it through, or g-grounding rod like you said, t-to help control it.”_

He lifted one of the rods and poured his quirk into it. He grinned like a maniac as streams of electricity danced over, remaining contained within the make-shift weapon. “Badass.”

_Gonna need to thank Midoriya after this._

Grabbing another one he propped himself into a crouch, “I’m not done yet!” He called out as he prepared for a real fight.

_Heroes never give up, Yaoyorozu._

* * *

“Now isn’t this interesting.” Nezu mused as he sipped his tea, the camera footage from 1A’s battle exercise playing out on the computer in front of him. “It would appear Mr. Midoriya is already making a splash.”

He watched as Denki Kaminari vaulted out of his cover and charged at his opponents, Ochako Uraraka running to meet him head on.

Nezu chuckled as he set down his tea, “This is going to be a rather interesting year.”

* * *

“Aaahh!” Uraraka screamed as Kaminari landed a hit on her hand with one of his improvised batons, the surge of electricity causing her arm to spasm as she jumped back in time to avoid another jolt.

“Uraraka! Move back, we can’t get close!” Yaoyorozu advised as she cocked another bean bag, panting as her continued use of her quirk finally began to catch up to her. Firing off another shot she noted that she still had the flashbangs and smoke grenades, her staff now essentially useless as Kaminari had eliminated the possibility of hand-to-hand combat. The flash bangs would most likely disorientate everyone in the room, Uraraka and herself included. That left the smoke grenades, she just hoped she would see him before he saw her, and definitely before he got to the bomb.

Cocking her last round, she grabbed the two cannisters, ripping the pins out as she flung the cans into the middle of the room. “Uraraka spread out, cover the weapon!” Was all she managed to say before white-smoke covered the room in a blinding explosion, a trick she learned to overcome the usual slow release.

The room grew eerily quiet as all three of its inhabitants did their best to assess their surroundings, looking for any sign of movement or noise. Yaoyorozu had her weapon raised as she scanned the few inches in front of her that she could clearly make out, slowly raising to her full height as she did so, moving to put her herself in between where she thought Kaminari might be and the weapon she was tasked to defend.

She ignored her legs wobbling from over-using her quirk as she took a step out of her cover, her foot crunching on the broken glass from Midoriya’s swift exit sounded far louder than it should have, but it was met with a response as the sound of crackling and soft feet to her right caused her to swivel around.

Only to meet a wall of white air.

She spun to her left as another pair of footsteps joined the first two. She knew that Kaminari had been to her right originally, with Uraraka to her left, but in all the smoke she couldn’t be sure they hadn’t moved around or that her shot would be accurate.

She grit her teeth as she took the risk, “Uraraka, shout!”

“Here!” It came from in front of her. She twisted back to her right as the soft creeping footsteps turned into a fast sprint. A silhouette formed from within the cloud and she fired. The bean-bag whizzed through the room, creating a tube of clear air as it sailed towards its target. A head of blonde-hair came into view, and the bean-bag flew straight over it.

Yaoyorozu’s eyes widened as the inch of hair she could see grew closer. She reached to her arm for another bean-bag, the front half already out as she gripped onto her ammo.

A sharp pain in her ribs alerted her to the fact that she was too late. The following wave of electricity let her know she had lost as the world around her darkened, her body spasming as another baton was shoved into her side.

_I failed… and I have only myself to blame._

* * *

[ **5 Minutes left Heroes!** ] All Might announced over the speakers.

“Move it Midoriya, Kaminari’s fighting alone.” Izuku winced as he ran through the twisting halls of the building, the last few scrapes closing thanks to his _Regen. Guess Uraraka is really taking this villain scenario seriously_. He was grateful that his jacket had taken the brunt of the impact, as well as protecting his torso from any stray glass that might have impaled him if he wasn’t so lucky. Though he did note that he would need to wash off all the rubble afterwards.

Climbing the final flight of stairs, Izuku was met with concrete walls to his front and right with another window to his left, the stairs having led up to a dead end. He was about to turn around and try another route when the unmistakable sounds of fighting came from the other side of the wall in front of him.

He stared at the concrete, taking a moment to compose himself before he raised his arm and condensed his powers into his hand once more. _I really need to think of a name for this._ He internally noted.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!”

* * *

Kaminari huffed as Yaoyorozu crumpled to floor in front of him, her body still slightly spasming as the last surges of his quirk dissipated. _Maybe I put too much into that._ He winced as her legs shot outward once more before she fell silent.

Pulling a strip of capture tape out from his jacket, he secured it around arm, successfully putting the creation goddess out of the fight. He smiled as he tried to relax his breathing, his posture slouched as he heaved air in and out.

Movement behind him forced him to gulp down whatever he could and get ready to face the gravity queen as she maneuvered her way towards him.

_Give me a break._

Steadying himself, her raised both his batons and grounded his feet. Now that he didn’t have to worry about getting shot, he could deal with Uraraka at close range. And considering all he had to do was get one good hit in, he liked his odds. The bomb was a wasted effort at this point, he couldn’t see anything and stumbling around had already been agonizing enough as is, he much rather let his opponent come to him.

A shadow formed in front of him and he electrified his pieces of metal.

_I might just win this by myself._

But that thought quickly vanished as the shadow continued to grow until it’s top reached the roof.

_What in the world?_

The silhouette lurched forward at speeds he couldn’t keep up with, the now large object quickly slamming into his chest and knocking the pipes from his grasp as he was steamrolled onto the floor. The air in his lungs vacated in a mad rush as his back slammed against the ground, his vision duplicating as his head followed. The sensation was only made worse as he couldn’t see anything around, the smoke still obscuring the room.

Rolling onto his stomach, he attempted to regain the oxygen that had been knocked out of him as he pawed the ground for his weapon. He needed to defend himself, and breath, and stand up, and not lose… he needed to do a lot now that he thought about it.

The footsteps from earlier returned, sending him into a panic that only worsened his intake of air and need to find his weapon. The noises grew louder and he continued to shimmy across the floor. For a training exercise it had begun to feel extremely real, or maybe it had been that way since Uraraka smacked Midoriya out of a window with part of building? 

_Yeah, this escalated really quickly._

Something grabbed onto his leg, and immediately let go before he could send any specs of electricity to the point of contact. He blinked as he began to float, a feeling of uneasiness and nausea consuming him as his sense of gravity went haywire. Something tapped his foot and his body spun around before being stopped by a plank of wood on his cheek, a very tired brown-haired girl standing on the other end of it, looking more than ready to whack him straight into oblivion.

He did his best to smile awkwardly, “So… uh… no hard feelings for tasing you?”

She smirked, he shivered… and made a mental note to never piss her off again.

Uraraka wound back her make-shift bat, tightening the muscles in her arms as she prepared to bat Kaminari into next week. “Improvised special move: Comet Home Run!” Her muscles began to snap outwards as she twisted back one final time.

Kaminari winced in preparation for what would surely earn him a trip to the nurse’s office. _So close._

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” Was what the duo heard before the wall next to them exploded.

* * *

Izuku stepped through the giant hole he had created into a room filled with white, only the area in front of him visible thanks to the force of his attack. But even that was muddied by the dirt and sediment that had been flung as a result of the walls destruction.

He put his arm out and pulled on the cloud experimentally, the familiar rush of energy covered him as the smoke began to absorb into his body, though it was noticeably less than that from a fire. _Good to know._

The air quickly cleared as the last few strands disappeared into his skin, the only thing remaining being the carnage from what had happened while he was gone.

He took in the scene with wide eyes as he scanned the room.

Yaoyorozu was unconscious near a pile of boxes in the center of the room, the bomb still tucked neatly in the corner behind her. Most of the other containers lay in pieces, their contents spilled out across the floor, bean-bags laying scattered amongst them.

And in the centre of the room, a floating, wide-eyed Kaminari, and a surprised looking Uraraka who appeared about ready to put Kaminari out of the fight for good.

The trio remained silent as they all waited to see what the other would do, the wire slowly tightening as uneasiness continued to build; Izuku cautiously getting ready to let his chain loose, Kaminari wiggling his fingers in preparation, and Uraraka tightening her grip on her make-shift bat, pinkies out to prevent making it weightless as well.

[ **3 Minutes left!** ] And just like that the wire snapped.

Izuku unfurled his chain and rushed towards Uraraka, letting off a shot towards her head that she dipped out of the way of. She swung as Kaminari did his best to defend himself, the bat flashing forward with all the strength she still had, a satisfying smack echoing out as it made contact with Kaminari’s arms, sending the electric teen flying out the new hole. She released her gravity on him, sending him tumbling down the flight of stairs with a loud thud.

Izuku didn’t give her a moment to wince at the yelp his teammate let out as he began his assault, swinging his chain and obliterating the plank in her hands as she used it to block him. Rolling forward under his next swing, she grabbed onto what was left of the pillar that she had used to knock down Kaminari with all her fingers, feeling her quirk take hold. She twisted her body, throwing it towards her opponent and charging in afterwards.

If she had learnt anything from Midoriya’s rambling texts when he began talking about her quirk, is that in a fight she had to be fast; she had to get in close and use the environment to her advantage. Regardless if she was going to be a rescue hero, she had to be prepared. She couldn’t hesitate, and this fight had only proved it, Yaoyorozu had been caught out and subsequently incapacitated before she could make another move. And from what she had seen when Midoriya fought, she definitely couldn’t give him an inch or he would capitalize.

Izuku ducked underneath the flying debris, immediately kicking himself to the side as Uraraka’s hand appeared where his head used to be. He let off a shot towards her legs, hoping to knock her feet out from underneath her. She backpedaled and immediately began her assault once more. Izuku having to constantly pay attention to where her hands were while at the same time trying to create space so he could attack.

“How… much… energy do… you have?!” He yelled as she dived towards him, Izuku having to move to the side as she turned her fall into a roll.

“You said I needed to be fast! So, I did stamina training at home!” She answered as she ran at him once more.

Izuku couldn’t help but smile, “So, you did take my advice!”

Uraraka rolled her eyes as she returned the smile, clawing at his arms as he attempted to fire of a shot, “It was good advice ok!”

“I can tell!” He yelped as a swing missed his nose by mere inches.

Izuku let off another blast between them, sending him into a stack of boxes while Uraraka slid across the floor. He shrugged off the aches, quickly leaning forward to pick himself up, and falling forward as his hand slipped on an empty canister. Uraraka capitalized on the mess up, sprinting forward and diving onto his back.

Her hand made contact with the side of his head, and the familiar sense of freedom took hold.

_Shit!_

Izuku’s eyes widened as he felt himself lift off the ground, his hands attempting to grip onto anything that it could. Uraraka slid off him, walking around to stand in front his face. He funneled _Smoke_ throughout his body to buy seconds as time warped and slowed. He scanned the environment, and his eyes quickly landed on the empty canister he assumed had created the wall of smoke earlier. Something in his mind sparked, and his hands tingled.

_Smoke bomb?_ His eyes widened as he remembered the time he had exploded after the practical, hoping to hide his near naked form from the crowd. _Smoke Bomb!_

He remembered that familiar sense, the need to not be seen. But instead of it surging out of his body, a small, hollow ball of smoke formed in his hands. He could feel the pressure building, but it wasn’t like his normal attacks. No, this one wanted to explode, to cover every inch of the room, to blind.

**“Let it go.”**

He opened his palm as Uraraka reached for him in slow motion, the small ball falling to the ground and bouncing like a tennis ball. It remained dormant for what felt like minutes as his friend’s fingers began to enclose around his face. Though just as her pinky made contact with his cheek, it exploded.

It wasn’t a lingering, soft white like Yaoyorozu’s creations, but instead, a violent and sudden burst that disappeared just as quickly.

Uraraka yelped as her eye’s burned, feeling as though they had been exposed to an open fire for to long. She stumbled back, waving her hand in front of her as she snapped her eyes shut.

Izuku’s mind clicked back to focus as she fell on to her back. Uraraka was momentarily removed from the fight, he stared down at the ground below him… now he just needed to move.

He scanned the room for the bomb, quickly finding it to his side. He thrust his hands out to the opposite side, letting his heavier attack pool.

_I’m just calling it smoke blast! No wait… what goes with smoke. Embers? No. Cinder? Cinder blast. Why does that sound right?_

He shook his head as he let loose, his zero-gravity body soring through the air. Directly towards the weapon.

He heard scrambling from behind him, turning his head to see Uraraka sprinting towards him, eye’s red and teary, but with a face of pure determination.

_She’s so cool._

His chest made contact with the tin of the weapon, his arms hugging around the side as he grabbed on to his victory.

* * *

[ **HERO TEAM WINS!** ] Their teacher yelled through the speaker; his excitement far more than Izuku’s at that moment.

Izuku heaved a heavy breath and Uraraka slid across the ground next to him, her exhaustion taking over as she flopped onto her back, her chest heaving as she attempted to catch her breath.

She cracked open a red and watery eye, staring up at Izuku as he hung off the side of the weapon like some kind of giant, muscly koala bear. She giggled, “How you doing?”

He chuckled back, “Pretty good, just hanging around.”

She burst out into giggles, though quickly stifled them as her stomach ached from the muscle movement. She shook her head and smirked up at him, “You need to teach me how you go from socially-awkward to…” She raised an arm and gestured at him before it slumped back to the ground. “…this.”

“This?”

She nodded and breathed in, “Yeah… this.”

“Will do.” He nodded as his adrenaline began to subside, “So, a pillar, huh?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Oh no, it was, but what made you think of that?” He chuckled while nodding to the broken remains of her initial weapon.

She shrugged against the ground, “Some green-haired guy who gave me the severed arm of a robot might have started to rub off on me.”

“Fair.” He huffed as he took in his position and his still clear lack of gravity. “Uh, can you put me down, p-please?”

Uraraka nodded, dragging her hands across her chest with whatever energy she still had left. Her fingers pressed together, Izuku feeling the effect instantly as he began to slide down the side of the bomb.

He let go and crouched down next to his friend, “Do you need help?”

She nodded in affirmation as she le him grab onto her arm, lifting her up while placing his free hand on her other arm. Her legs wobbled as she stood, “Thanks.”

Izuku gave her his best smile, “Anytime.”

She smiled back and couldn’t help but lean into the warmth his body generated. Even through the leather of his jacket she could still feel the heat, a part of her wondered if that was due to the embers his quirk created. Another part of her just wanted to enjoy being this close to him-

She blinked, “Oh no.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: I'm still working on it to be honest.
> 
> Long as fudge but so worth it.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> See Ya.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fic and first time really committing to a writing piece.  
> I want to thank my amazing partner for editing all this for me, it's the main reason this is'nt littered with spelling mistakes and the grammar is decent, but besides that I'm excited to see where this goes.  
> I hope you liked it and I'll see you in the next one.
> 
> All credit for My Hero Academia goes to Kohei Horikoshi, Studio Bones, and Funimation. All credit for the inFamous video game series belongs to Sucker Punch Productions, and Sony Interactive Entertainment.


End file.
